Indigo Moon
by Hanyou-Foxgirl
Summary: -Sequel to Magenta Stripes- If Sesshomaru thought things were odd before, they were nothing compared to what was going on now. Of course, Naraku would take this moment to intervene... and he didn't like the look in the miko's eyes... Inu/Sess YAOI
1. Of Bloodsuckers and Hidden Jealousy

**Foxgirl**: Hello, all! Ah, it feels so good to be back. Welcome to the first installment of Indigo Moon! =D I'm very excited to be working on this... and I've actually planned some stuff out, instead of just getting a random idea and randomly coming up with sixteen chapters, like last time. Anyway, I'm sorry this is a bit boring, it's mostly filler. The next chapter is where the good stuff begins! ...I think. I haven't quite decided yet... anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Summary subject to change. I can't think of any better ideas... ah, well. It'll work for now. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be bringing Amatsu and Shiuchi back into this... unless the plot calls me to. Other pairings are:

Well, you'll just have to find out, now won't you? =P

For now I'm rating it 'M' just to keep my options available. That might change, as well~

And thank you to my lovely beta **SugaMama09** for helping me with this chapter. =3

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Chapter One: Of Bloodsuckers and Hidden Jealousy

* * *

"There it is!"

"God that's hideous."

"Feh. Let's just get this over with."

"The shard is in its neck, Inuyasha!"

"This will be no great ordeal. It is only a lower level demon."

"But... but it's huge! Sesshomaru, even you can't deny that it's pretty intimidating!"

"Inuyasha, your miko has quite a simple mind, doesn't she?"

"Hey!"

"Shut up! Let's just finish this."

She wasn't quite sure what upset her the most.

Perhaps it was the careless way he walked beside the hanyou; the way Inuyasha would almost unconsciously gravitate towards him as they moved forward. The way he looked at the demon lord, when he thought Sesshomaru wasn't looking— and the looks Inuyasha received In return. It had her entire body itching with the feeling of jealousy, like she was stuck inside a thick skin that wasn't her own. No matter how she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to get used to it, to move on with her life.

She couldn't stop loving Inuyasha.

A sigh breathed past her lips at this thought and she began twirling a finger in her hair, watching the fight unfold around her.

Yes, things sure had gotten easier with the demon lord around... especially now that he was back up to his normal strength. Hunting for the jewel shards had become such a trivial matter, and everyone's spirits seemed to be lifted.

Except for Jaken.

But nobody really cared about him.

"WIND SCAR!"

Inuyasha swung his sword in a lazy arch, hardly even trying. He wasn't really trying to kill the demon, no. Just make it lower its guard. It worked of course— and the massive, puce-colored creature took a step back, only to fall directly in line with Sesshomaru's blade. It stood still for only a moment, before falling into two humongous pieces, which gushed a crimson liquid and let out a horrified yell. The small group ignored it all, moving to grab the Shikon Jewel shard that rested within the demons remains, before continuing on their way.

The grass was stained a sticky red, and Sesshomaru was sure to keep his distance, watching with slight disinterest as his newest companions placed the piece of the jewel they had received with the precious few others they held in their possession. His amber-colored eyes left the sight after a moment, and he took notice of the trees that had fallen from the demons outrage, the debris and destruction left over from its senseless violence. Granted it had been fairly powerful— nothing that he himself couldn't handle of course, but strong nonetheless.

They had been traveling together for a while now, at least a few months had passed, and for the most part, things were the same between the pack. Miroku was just as touchy-feely as ever, and Sango still had the hardest slap of any girl he'd ever met. Shippo could usually be found running around with Rin and Kirara, and the cat found herself extremely happy that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had finally gotten together. She wasn't quite sure what had caused it, but all that mattered was that her ultimate goal had been achieved in the end. Jaken still shot a few glares at the humans— every once in a while— but for the most part he had come to accept the whole ordeal.

Only Kagome seemed to be unable to dispose of the last bit of irritation she still felt at Sesshomaru's presence.

The demon lord, for his part, didn't let it faze him.

Then again, he tended to just outwardly ignore anything and everything that had to do with the young miko.

Sesshomaru sheathed his sword after carefully wiping the blood off on the ground, not even sparing a passing glance at the demon they'd just disposed of. After the seconds of cleaning, he took his customary place next to Inuyasha, walking gracefully on long legs in a way that usually had more than a few people jealous. Inuyasha had learned not to stare, though.

He had plenty of time for that, later.

"How are we doin' on shards, Kagome?"

The miko looked over to the hanyou who was speaking, before looking down to the glass bottle hanging around her neck.

"Ugh... not so good, Naraku still has most of the jewel. At this rate the only thing we can do is try to prevent him from getting any more..."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and Sesshomaru glanced over, pursing his lips the slightest bit.

He really could care less about the jewel.

Quite honestly, he would rather be off doing... something else. Actually, he really had nothing better to do at the moment. He'd gotten his arm back, Amatsu was no longer a concern, and Tensaisga wasn't getting any stronger... erm, perhaps looking for the shards wasn't such a bad idea.

Kagome sighed, glancing over the tops of the trees.

Their previous fight while simple, had also taken some time, and everyone was conscious of the sun beginning to set in the distance.

"Inuyasha, perhaps we should settle down for the night," Miroku suggested, smoothing his hands down his staff. The hanyou glanced over, crossing his arms.

"Feh. Whatever..."

He accepted it though, looking up until he spotted a tree suitable enough for his tastes.

Once that was done he jumped, landing among the branches. His ears twitched as he heard the limb shake slightly, and then it was still. He cracked an eye open, spotting a flurry of silver and white. He huffed, before allowing his arms to open.

There was a pause, and then he felt a slight weight settle comfortably in the grip, instantly filling his nose with the smell of something slightly sweet, something a tad bit cold. Inuyasha sighed, breathing in the scent of his mate, of his Sesshomaru.

And, as usual, he felt quite content.

oOo

"Kanna, show me Inuyasha."

The small white haired girl lifted her head at the silken voice, lifeless eyes lowering to fix upon the mirror that she held. Soon an image appeared, revealing two figures. The half-demon eyed the scene critically, muddy red eyes watching the scene with disdain. Inky black hair pooled around him as he sat, his lips turning down the slightest bit.

Quite a conundrum, indeed.

This hadn't been foreseen... nor even considered, as a possibility. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru working together— and closer than that, as well, if they way they were curled around each other was any indication.

"Now now..." Naraku murmured, his eyes looking away from the scene, "This won't do at all..."

He was quite aware that if the hanyou and his brother together would be much harder to kill than when they had been separated. Usually he was able to rely on them stopping in their fights to go and fight each other, which always gave him a considerable advantage. This new camaraderie between them was going to be a problem, one that he couldn't simply overlook any longer. He'd waited, for a few months, attempting to see if perhaps they would each go there individual paths eventually, but nothing of the sort happened. The development was... regrettable, but nothing that he couldn't handle. In fact, he'd prepared a little treat, just for such an occasion...

Inuyasha would never see it coming.

He flicked his eyes over to one side of the room he was in, noting Kagura's broken form lying splayed about on the floor.

The wind sorceress was getting to be quite an annoyance, and he simply couldn't trust her at the moment, lest she go and tell the hanyou all about his plans. Her breathing was steady, but shallow, and she had remained in such a state ever since he'd found her incompetence a bit too much to handle.

No matter, he'd dispose of her soon enough, if he could find no other use for her.

He stood, walking carelessly over to the sliding door that led to the next room, stopping just outside, his eyes looking straight through the thin material of the entrance. He could see the silhouette of his latest creation, pulsating, growing, almost ready to breath its first breath of life. A slow, lazy smirk graced his lips, and a chuckle slipped past his lips as he looked back over to Kanna's mirror, his eyes narrowing at the two entwined forms still showing on the shimmering surface.

"...Enjoy your rest while you can, Inuyasha. Very soon, you will not be dropping your guard around your brother so carelessly..."

oOo

Morning came as it usually did— much too early and definitely too bright. Even through the thick canopy of trees the sunlight streamed down upon the inhabitants of the small clearing.

Inuyasha woke to the feeling of someone breathing against his neck, and the warm, hot breath was doing nothing to make him want to get up and start the day, as he should. He shivered, glancing down at Sesshomaru's form. He knew the male probably hadn't slept last night— he hardly ever _really_ did— which was why Inuyasha himself had gotten some well-needed rest. Usually he stayed up to watch the humans and the fox kit, but he didn't really have anything to worry about with Sesshomaru around. Demons knew better than to mess around with people so close to such a powerful demon's scent, and he was oddly grateful for the reprieve. It was rare that the demon lord slept with him like this, as well. Generally he would simply lean himself against the base of whatever tree he deemed good enough for 'This Sesshomaru', and closed his eyes.

Nights like the last were his favorites.

Those, and the ones where he and Sesshomaru would sneak off, frustrated with tension and spend the night writhing and moaning— those were good too.

Better than good.

"You are awake, Inuyasha?" The voice spoke, expelling more of that delicious breath onto his throat. Inuyasha shuddered, scowling and sitting up, pulling away from his mate.

"Keh. You knew I was... and stop that."

Sesshomaru would know precisely what he was talking about— in fact, he was quite certain the demon lord had been doing it on purpose. He received a mock innocent look for his words, before Sesshomaru was moving closer, and Inuyasha grit his teeth as the daiyoukai began pressing kisses along the arch of his neck, his tongue flickering out ever so often.

"Stop what... Otouto?" He spoke in between the brief moments his lips were not against Inuyasha's skin, and the hanyou growled, turning towards his brother.

Really, he couldn't stand it when his brother called him that.

Mostly because of the way he said it, low in his voice and velvety soft... it was like liquid sin, pouring from his mouth.

Sesshomaru was always the most playful in the mornings, as the day just begun.

Not that Inuyasha was complaining, mind you, but it was awfully embarrassing to feel himself becoming a little _too_ excited when Kagome and the others were just below them.

"Sesshomaru..." Inuyasha spoke as the demon lord began sucking and nipping at the skin, seeming determined to make his mark on the hanyou. He swallowed back a groan, shaking his head. "C'mon... sto—"

"INUYASHA! Are you up? I've made breakfast!"

Sesshomaru pulled away the instant the female voice was heard, glancing down.

Inuyasha moaned softly in slight annoyance, much as he'd been protesting earlier. He took a breath to calm himself, glancing over as Sesshomaru carelessly stepped off of the branch they'd been sitting on, falling to the ground and landing gracefully, as usual, walking past Kagome with an air of arrogance that had the hanyou rolling his eyes, biting back the urge to smile. He seemed to like teasing Kagome immensely about the fact that they were together, though Inuyasha couldn't understand why. She'd gotten over him, right?

Right.

He sighed, all thoughts of what _it_ would be like in a tree dissipating as he jumped down himself, landing in front of the miko with little difficulty. He yawned, throwing Kagome a careless smirk.

"Morning," He stated carelessly, "Ramen?"

She flashed him a smile, nodding and showing him the cup of Instant Noodles in her hands, "Mmhmm! It's all ready so you can eat whenever you..." Her voice trailed off here, her eyes glancing briefly down to a spot somewhere on Inuyasha's throat. The hanyou frowned, wondering what she could be looking at... before he realized that Sesshomaru had probably left a nice little mark there, and his cheeks heated.

"Uh... yeah, thanks," He muttered quickly, clapping a hand over his neck and snatching the cup out of her hand, moving over to the fire where the others were waiting.

Sesshomaru sat next to Rin and the hanyou shot him a glare, grabbing the chopsticks that had been stuck carefully inside the noodles.

The demon lord raised an eyebrow at him, but the amusement in his eyes gave him away.

Inuyasha had gotten much better at reading his older brother, now that he knew what to look for.

The hanyou began eating his noodles, feeling Kagome's presence settle over him as she took her customary seat next to him. That was one thing that hadn't really changed since they'd returned from Amatsu's castle— seating arrangements. After the first couple days of their mating, things had settled back to normal, for the most part. Sesshomaru still really wasn't one for affection— which was fine because Inuyasha wasn't really either. And besides, because of their positions across the fire, he could stare at the daiyoukai as much as he wanted.

As he dug into his food, Kagome watched from the corner of her eye, her eyes unconsciously straying to the mark on his neck. She looked over to Sesshomaru, the corners of her lips turning down slightly. He wasn't eating, of course, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him eat recently— which was something she was glad of, as when she'd witnessed it before he'd gotten his strength back, it was a disgusting sight to behold— but she could only assume that he was. Instead he stared idly up at the clouds, switching his gaze to Rin, every so often. Honestly, Kagome lamented with a sigh, Sesshomaru was quite beautiful. It was easy to see why he'd been chosen over her... but he was a _guy_! Inuyasha had never given off the slightest hint that he was gay, if the way he treated Miroku was any indication. She just couldn't understand how one day the two hated each other, and the next they were smooching! It didn't make any sense... and it really, really wasn't fair.

She ate her noodles silently, contemplating her situation while the others laughed and joked like normal. It wasn't too long before a loud SMACK! resounded throughout the clearing, but she'd learn to ignore that by now. It was a lot harder to concentrate on anything now that Shippo had a playmate, however. He and Rin did everything together, and Sesshomaru didn't look like he minded too much... though he was constantly watching them, ensuring that the human didn't get hurt.

It was odd, she thought, that someone who claimed to be so cold could have such strong feelings for a human child.

"Geez, you'd think Miroku would learn after a while," Shippo commented idly from somewhere behind the miko. She glanced over her shoulder to see him and Rin sitting, the latter twining the stems of flowers together in an attempt to make a crown. Kagome couldn't help but snicker, as she knew that the slightly ridiculous looking accessory would be offered to the demon lord. Really, didn't he find it hard to look intimidating with all those flowers in his hair?

Once breakfast was finished they got everything together and began moving again, and Shippo was forced to walk, as Kagome had left her bicycle at home. He didn't mind it though— and he rarely used it anymore in any case, now that Rin was there.

Kagome moved quickly so that she could stand beside Inuyasha as they walked, wanting to speak with him while Sesshomaru was distracted with Rin— "Please, Lord Sesshomaru?" "No, Rin." "Pleeeeeaaaassssee?" "...Maybe later."— as she'd thought of a detail that the hanyou hadn't seem to be worried about.

"Inuyasha..." She began, twirling a finger through her wavy locks, "So.... what are you going to say to Kikyo?"

The hanyou appeared to freeze for a moment, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly before quickly going back to normal.

Inside, the hanyou was feeling a bit idiotic.

'Shit,' He thought to himself, shaking his head. In all honestly, he really hadn't spared a thought towards the priestess since Sesshomaru had begun traveling with them. It was odd, considering how obsessed he'd been with her at one time but then again, Sesshomaru did tend to keep him rather... 'occupied'.

"Eh..." He began, crossing his arms into the sleeves of his kimono, "...I guess I'll just tell her when the time comes," He answered, understanding full well exactly what she was asking. Kagome frowned, watching him intensely.

"And just when will that 'time' be?" She asked, furrowing her brow in an annoyed way.

"I dunno... next time I see her? Why are you asking?"

The miko paused, a slight flush blooming on her cheeks.

Quite honestly, she'd only wanted to trip the hanyou up.

"Uh— just curious..." Was the half mumbled response she gave, as she turned her head to stare at the floor. Inuyasha looked at her curiously, his lips parting as his brain began to formulate an idea of what was going on with the miko.

"Kagome... you're not—"

Pause.

The teenager glanced over to the hanyou, finding him sniffing the air curiously, his gaze turning steely as his eyes narrowed.

"Do you smell it as well, Inuyasha?"

Kagome turned, frowning slightly upon seeing Sesshomaru looking at the hanyou with his normal cold gaze.

"Yeah..." Inuyasha answered distractedly, stopping slightly in his steps.

"What? What is it?" Shippo asked, bouncing as he furiously attempted to sniff the air, his nose not quite strong enough.

Inuyasha looked down at him, grimacing.

"Human blood."

Inuyasha and the others raced towards the scent, Kagome clutching tightly onto the folds of his kimono from her perch on his back.

"Is there a village up ahead Inuyasha?" Miroku shouted over all the commotion, and the hanyou nodded the affirmative, his eyebrows lowered in concentration.

"Yeah... and there's a lot of blood, but it doesn't seem to be completely fresh..."

"Hn. About five corpses, the scent is only a few minutes old..."

The demon lord trailed off here, as if slightly unsure of something.

Miroku and Sango nodded at Sesshomaru's observation, and Kagome rolled her eyes.

Gods, he was so dramatic.

Rin held onto Ah-Un's saddle, her eyes wide with fear as they raced towards the village.

It wasn't long before it began to appear in front of them, and the group slowed upon seeing the destruction. They could hear the shouts of the villagers as they grew closer, and could see the distraught faces of everyone, crying over the casualties. They all moved into the village carefully, glancing around in an attempt to see if whatever had caused this was still around.

"More demons!" A high-strung woman yelled, pointing at Sesshomaru in fear. The daiyoukai raised an eyebrow, slightly bored with the outcry. It had become increasingly difficult for them to go anywhere, as Sesshomaru looked the deadliest out of all of them. And Jaken's tendency to outwardly badmouth the humans didn't help, either.

"Good villagers, we come in peace," Miroku said, raising her arms in a effort to calm everyone. A crowd began to gather now, all surrounding the little group of humans and demons, watching them with fearful—but curious eyes. Now that they had gotten a bit farther in, Inuyasha and the others could see the desecration brought to the village.

A few houses had been smashes in, they noted, and lying strew about the ground were the five bodies that Sesshomaru had mentioned earlier. However, there was something rather odd about them.

Sesshomaru glanced over at two of the bodies, confirming what he had suspected earlier.

Yes... they did not bleed.

There wasn't any blood left in their bodies.

"What happened here?" Sango asked as Kirara took that moment to change back into her more compact form, moving to hop onto the demon slayer's shoulder.

There was a slight pause as they all debated, before one person, who seemed to be the village elder stepped forward. He was built sturdily though his hair was a shining gray color, and his large eyebrows were down turned in an almost disapproving manner.

"...And how do we know you all aren't demons as well?" He asked suspiciously.

"We only want to help," Kagome spoke up, her hands fidgeting slightly.

"Yeah. And maybe whatever did this, has a sacred jewel shard," Inuyasha said nonchalantly, shrinking slightly at the glare Kagome sent him. "What?"

They hardly ever found any shards anymore. It seemed that Naraku really had collected almost all of the jewel, save for the few shards that they held in their possession.

The miko shook her head, before turning back to the villagers.

"So, a demon did this to you?"

There was a slight hesitation, before the elderly man answered, "...Yes. It has been coming to our village recently every night— and occasionally very early in the morning. Usually it only takes one victim, but this time..."

He turned, glancing over to the dead villagers with sadness in his eyes.

"Are they usually drained of their blood?" The monk asked, a rare, serious expression on his face.

The village elder turned, the corners of his lips pulled down into a frown.

"...Yes..."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, her eyes slightly fearful.

"Inuyasha... you don't think it's one of the bat demons, from Shiori's tribe, do you?" (1)

The hanyou glanced over to her, his ears twitching. "I don't know... but we're going to stop it, either way."

oOo

Sesshomaru was growing bored. A bat demon would be easy to take down, probably wouldn't require any effort at all— and yet, it was keeping them _waiting_. He wouldn't admit to being impatient because he wasn't, but honestly, two hours of hiding downwind in a slightly cramped tree with his mate and the miko on the branch opposite him was more than he could stand. Inuyasha wasn't the problem— it was that stupid _girl_. The child was constantly babbling in a voice that she obviously thought quiet enough, and was repeatedly pressing herself against the hanyou in a way that he was absolutely _positive_ wasn't meant to be innocent, and the only thing that brought him solace was that Inuyasha didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. He rolled his eyes skyward, before shifting slightly, into a position that was only a tad bit more comfortable. He allowed one of his hands to hang over the edge of the branch, and using his thumb he lightly traced circles on each of his fingers, just to pass the time.

Honestly, when was that stupid demon going to appear?

They were using Sango as bait, as she was human, and could handle herself in case the demon managed to sneak up on all of them. She was sitting on the ground in her normal outfit, a blade concealed within one of the wraps covering her arms. Miroku held her hairaikotsu with a bit of difficulty from his hiding spot behind the tree Inuyasha and the others rested in, and Shippo and Rin were taking hiding in one of the villagers huts, so they could stay safe.

They'd all begun their little watch as soon as the sun had set, and since then, they'd been waiting.

And absolutely nothing had happened yet.

Inuyasha resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Kagome once again asked him in a hushed whisper if he could smell anything yet.

Seriously.

When he _did_ smell something, he'd tell her, dammit! And her shifting around was really beginning to annoy him.

He glanced over to his mate, watching his idle staring at the sky, before taking notice of the graceful motions he was performing with his fingers. He resisted the urge to smile, turning his head to the side slightly.

Sesshomaru was bored.

"Inuyasha? Is it coming?"

The hanyou growled in irritation, turning to the miko to tell her that no, the damn demon was _not_ coming, and she should keep her mouth shut for the moment when it actually _did_— when he heard something.

His ears twitched slightly as the faint noise grew louder— and upon glancing over to Sesshomaru he noted that the daiyoukai had heard it as well.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah," He answered, watching the areas around Sango carefully, "It's here."

Suddenly there was an even louder noise— the powerful beating of wings— and the demon appeared. Its skin was a dark red color, and it appeared to be just a bit taller and larger than Sesshomaru was. A long tail with a deadly spike on the end jutted from its tailbeone— and it appeared to be diving for Sango with a hungry look in its eyes. The demon slayer herself stood from her sitting position, flipping backwards just before it reached her. The others took that as their time to appear, and Inuyasha jumped down from his post, taking Kagome with him with Sesshomaru following silently after. With a fervent shout of 'Sango!' Miroku urged Kirara forward, and soon the demon slayer was reunited with her weapon.

Kagome aimed an arrow at the demon and it snarled, glaring over at her and batting it away from him as if it were no more than an annoying fly. She glanced down at the bow in confusion and Inuyasha set her down, drawing his sword.

Suddenly the bat demon laughed, shaking its head in mirth.

The group watched it carefully, their eyes narrowed and weapons at the ready.

"Ah," It spoke after a moment, eyeing the hanyou exclusively, "You must be Inuyasha. Naraku said that if I attacked the village you would come."

Realization struck everyone at the same moment and Inuyasha snarled, swinging the Tetsaisga in frustration.

"This was a trap!" Kagome exclaimed, her eyes narrowing into a glare.

The demon leered closer; it's tremendous nostrils flaring as it scented the human's blood.

Kagome's eyes widened and she docked another arrow, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Inuyasha, it's got a sacred jewel shard in its neck!"

The hanyou nodded at the information, taking a battle ready stance.

The demon sent a bemused glance towards Kagome, taking a step forward before beginning to flap its wings powerfully, lifting its body into the air.

"He also said that if I defeated you, I could keep this new power he's granted me!"

It wasted no time then, surging towards Inuyasha with its claws extended and fangs bared. Inuyasha executed a quick wind scar, and it quickly moved to the side in midair, with speed that was obviously not its own power. As it moved, it spotted Sesshomaru, and swung its tail in his general direction in case he got any ideas of attempting to join in the fight. The daiyoukai was ready however, and leaped over the appendage, getting close enough to the demon to swipe at it with his claws, poison dripping from their tips. The bat demon howled as it was struck in its face, blinding it, and he lashed about wildly, almost hitting Kagome who was pulled from danger by Inuyasha.

"Hairaikotsu!" Sango shouted, hurling her weapon towards the demon from her perch on Kirara. The bat demon snarled, using its hearing to pinpoint the direction the weapon was coming from, and with a might swing of it's arm it sent the weapon hurling back towards Sango. The demon slayer calculated its trajectory, but noted with widening eyes that it was coming towards her much to fast for her to catch. Kirara growled and Sango reached for the weapon, missing slightly and wincing as it hit her arm with a sickening crunch.

"Wind Tunnel!"

Inuyasha took that moment to jump towards the demon, managing to land a hit on its back as it turned towards the monk. The bat demon snarled as the force of Miroku's curse pulled it forward, but the outraged noise was drowned out by the sound of an irritating buzzing noise. Miroku immediately closed his hand as the saimyosho loomed closer, grimacing.

"Hit the mark!" Kagome shouted, letting another arrow fly. This time she aimed for the jewel shard, her eyes fierce and determined. The demon moved away from the arrow, and Kagome let out a noise of irritation, docking another arrow. Inuyasha ran towards the bat demon, avoiding its blindly swiping claws and swinging the Tetsaisga, in a sideways motion, catching it off guard and beheading it with a growl. The miko let her arrow fly then, successfully hitting the jewel shard in its neck and cringing at its howl of frustration.

The demons body fell down then, hitting the ground with a loud 'thump' as the blood flowed freely from its wound.

Kagome moved forward cautiously, picking up the discarded shard and grinning with triumph.

"We did it!" She exclaimed, and Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, scoffing lightly.

"Hey!" Kagome said, catching the motions, "I didn't see _you_ doing anything useful in that battle!"

The daiyoukai turned, beginning to walk towards where he knew Rin and Shippo were.

"I simply thought you might need the practice."

Kagome let out a 'hmph' of irritation, and was about to shout after the annoying bastard when Kirara landed, mewing worriedly. Miroku hurried over to the demon, noting Sango's slightly battered state. Inuyasha walked over as well, sheathing the Tetsaisga carefully and looking over the demon slayer for wounds.

"Sango? Are you all right?" Miroku asked, gently touching her shoulder.

She let out a distressed cry, pulling her arm closer to herself as hairaikotsu fell uselessly to the ground.

"We need to get her to a healer," Miroku assessed, picking up her weapon and placing it neatly on Kirara behind the demon slayer. Kirara mewed in worry as Sango doubled over on her back, gritting her teeth in pain.

"Sango..." Kagome said gently, rubbing smoothing circles onto the other girls back.

"We should take her to Lady Kaede," Inuyasha said, hiding his worry with the ever present scowl on his face, "That way she'll be able to rest for a few days."

As everyone began agreeing, the villagers came swarming out of their huts, intent on thanking the small group. Miroku answered questions for the rest of them while they all prepared to leave, Kagome moving to fetch Shippo and Rin.

Yes, they were happy to have helped.

Yes, it was quite easy.

No, they didn't want anything in return. ...Well... could they spare some food?

* * *

(1) I didn't make up Shiori, in case any of you were wondering. Nope nope, that's an actual episode.

**Foxgirl**: Ah, in the next chapter you can expect:

1) More yaoi! Whether I fail or not, it shall be there.

2) More of Naraku's cunning plot, revealed! Ooooh, it's so scary! =0

Review please! It makes me write faster.

**Vixen**: God, here we go again...

**Foxgirl**: ...I thought I told you you were no longer allowed down here?


	2. Of Shape shifters and Insidious Plots

Foxgirl: D: I am so so so so so so sorry for the really long update! I know that took me forever, my life has been really busy lately. That, and I had the worst case of writers block... I'm sorry for the short chappie, and it's also un-beta'd, as I wanted to get this up as soon as possible. I will post the updated version as soon as my beta gets it back to me. I'm sorry, I know this chapter isn't the best, but I promise it will get better. Also, the nest update won't be nearly as long. Again, many many apologies, thanks to all of you who added this story to your story alerts. This **will** be finished, I'm not going to give up on it. The next chapter will be longer, as this one was 1,300 words short from my usual chapter length. =|

Vixen: Wow, you're pathetic.

Foxgirl: Shutup! I am in **no** mood!

...Enjoy,  


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Chapter Two: Of Shape shifters and Insidious Plots  


* * *

"Hmm... no, she has not broken the bone, it is most likely merely fractured," Kaede said, after examining Sango's arm. The demon slayer herself was taking it in stride, barely even wincing whenever Kaede touched the appendage. Miroku hadn't left her side since she'd been hurt, though he appeared to be relatively calm about everything. They'd reached the village after taking a shortcut through Inuyasha forest, and it had barely taken them half an hour. Seeing as they'd been heading in this direction in the first place, Inuyasha didn't mind the hurried detour nearly as much as he normally would.

"How long do you think it'll take to heal?" The hanyou asked, shifting slightly uncomfortably. It was odd to see Sango in such a state, he'd found.

As their battle with the bat demon hadn't taken that much time, the sun had yet to rise.

"Mm... I'd say at least a few weeks," The old woman diagnosed, turning to gather the supplies she'd obtained to alleviate some of the demon slayer's pain.

Inuyasha nodded.

He'd expected something like that...

He couldn't really be upset about it; Sango needed as much time as it took to recover fully. Naraku hadn't made any appearances in a while, in any case, so they weren't in any urgent hurry.

Sesshomaru sat in a corner of Kaede's hut, watching the demon slayer with what appeared to be mild interest.

It was a shame she'd been hurt— she was the only one of the humans in Inuyasha's little group that he could really stand.

Kaede made Sango a makeshift sling, finally telling her to rest, once she'd finished looking at the injury. They'd all left the hut, not wanting to disturb her while she rested. Save for Miroku, who claimed he would be fine where he was. After all the excitement had calmed down the rest of the little group found themselves staying in a hut that one of the villagers had offered to them, and Kagome was gratefully unrolling her sleeping bag, chattering happily to Shippo and Rin.

Sesshomaru, who found himself simply unable to tolerate that much of the miko's voice at one time, calmly rose and exited their sleeping quarters gracefully, leaving Inuyasha staring after him.

"And I'm glad that Sango's injuries weren't more serious, you know?"

The hanyou glanced over to Kagome, his ears twitching as he realized that she had been talking.

"Uh, yeah, me too," He answered. The miko nodded, settling herself down to sleep.

"You know Inuyasha," She began, "It's odd... do you remember what that demon said? Somebody have _given_ him that..." The miko trailed off, however, as she sat up, noticing that the hanyou was no longer in the hut.  


* * *

Finally, it was time.

A small smirk appeared on the thin, cracked lips of the black-haired hanyou, and Naraku's mirth only grew as he watched his newest incarnation, that was _finally_ complete struggle carefully awake. It had taken careful planning, and a sinister mix of demons, but he'd done it. It would do exactly as he said without dissenting— unlike the traitorous Kagura. His eyes flicked over to where the wind sorceress had once lay, until he'd tired of seeing her broken body. She was to be kept in her room until he felt like being generous... which could, admittedly, be a very long while.

Naraku turned his attention back to the incarnation, watching as it slowly stood, it's face blank, expressionless— _perfect_.

"Byakuya," He called, never taking his attention from the stretching form of his newest pawn.

"Yes, Naraku?"

He looked over to the male, nodding his head while catching and holding his gaze.

"It is time. You know what to do."

Byakuya nodded, turning and retrieving his paper crane from inside of his kimono, no doubt preparing to fly away.

Naraku had to admit, that the male was a decided improvement from Kagura. Not that he was quite finished with her— no. But until he willed it she would stay as she was. Barely breathing, barely moving— barely _alive_. He saw it as the only fitting punishment, for such a long time of deceit.

Honestly.

Did she really think he did not know?

A low sound interrupted the hanyou's musings and he was delighted to find his new incarnation coming to, a very pallid hand coming up to touch his head, before stroking through pale green locks. Naraku smirked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Noizuke," He purred, watching as the disoriented figure glanced up, a sleepy, confused expression on his face, "I have a job for you."  


* * *

Inuyasha— having found Sesshomaru away from the village, close to the forest— shook his head, watching him carefully.

"What're you doin' out here?" Inuyasha asked, advancing closer to the daiyoukai. It was strange seeing the demon lord standing so close to that tree— _his_ tree, having spent fifty years of his life there. Sesshomaru turned around, though he'd probably already known the hanyou was there, and the pale moonbeams that lit up his skin clearly allowed Inuyasha to see him raise one fine, silver eyebrow. The younger of the two brothers still found himself amazed, sometimes, that they were mates. The most he'd ever even dared to hope for with Sesshomaru in the past was at least a small alleviation to all the animosity, and yet...

"I do not know how you stand it, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru spoke, his golden eyes meeting the hanyou's easily, "That miko just never seems to close her mouth."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, crossing his arms once he was directly in front of the demon lord.

"Oh come on Sesshomaru— she doesn't talk _that_ much."

Sesshomaru scoffed— it was really more like an annoyed exhalation of air— and shook his head.

"I beg to differ."

There was something slightly exhilarating about standing there alone, under the moonlight with his brother. It brought a smirk to his face as he stared challengingly up to the demon lord, doing his best imitation of Sesshomaru quirking an eyebrow.

"Why Sesshy, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _jealous_."

The demon lord's eyes flashed and his eyelids narrowed the tiniest fraction— and Inuyasha's smirk grew.

The demon lord felt quite indignant.

He was _not_ jealous of that spoiled child.

And, he said as much.

"Please, Inuyasha. Do not accuse me of something so—" He was cut off, here, as Inuyasha began growing slightly impatient, moving himself forward and slanting his mouth over the demon lords.

Really. Why did Sesshomaru keep talking when his lips could be put to much better uses?

The daiyoukai's eyes widened briefly at the sudden lip lock but he melted into it easily, allowing his eyes to close as he granted Inuyasha's insistent tongue entrance to his mouth.

He could feel the hanyou's hands at his sides, impatiently untying the ties of his chest plate and he decided to humor the hanyou, gently pressing moko-moko-sama off of his shoulder once Inuyasha had managed to get the armor off. He'd gotten much better at removing it— and Sesshomaru thought idly to himself that he should use more complex knots next time, just to piss the hanyou off. This train of thought was stopped, however, as Inuyasha anxiously tugged at his obi, and then there were calloused hands running over his skin; and Sesshomaru let out a hum of contentment. When they broke apart to breathe Sesshomaru began the task of taking the robe of the fire-rat from Inuyasha's body, carefully undoing the crimson obi and allowing it to fall to the ground.

"Mmm— ah—"

"Sesshomaru—"

Everything was a flurry of motion and suppressed whimpers, of groans and the sound of skin on skin— and they couldn't have stopped even if they'd wanted to. The world around them seemed to fall into a dim, foggy haze, and when Sesshomaru finally submitted, he looked up to the hanyou with eyes just as hazy, his mouth opened slightly and revealing only the tips of his fangs.

The hanyou's hands were pressed tightly against Sesshomaru's hips, and they paused, breathing deeply, eyes locked on each others almost identical amber gaze. The daiyoukai closed his, however, when Inuyasha began lightly running his thumbs over the magenta stripes on his waist, and he nipped lightly at his bottom lip, shaking his head.

The moonlight illuminated the two as they moved over each other, the empty clearing carrying the groans and little noises farther than it would have normally, it seemed, in the darkness. They hardly noticed, however, though later Sesshomaru would probably wonder to himself if that damn miko could hear what they were doing. Perhaps _then_ she'd learn to back off...

Inuyasha himself was having a bit of trouble remembering how to breathe, shutting his eyes tightly against the skin on Sesshomaru's shoulder. He couldn't help but feel a tad bit smug, at the moan that tumbled involuntarily from Sesshomaru's lips.

When they'd finished Inuyasha nuzzled his head against his mate's neck, nipping lightly at the flesh there. They were both breathing heavily, and, Sesshomaru noted, were both quite sweaty— and a bit sticky, as well. A bath would have to be had later, he decided to himself, humming contentedly in the back of his throat. Inuyasha mumbled something to his throat and Sesshomaru lightly licked the side of his cheek, speaking his agreements. Inuyasha tilted his head up, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to the demon lord's lips before sighing slightly. With a bit of reluctance he stood, gathering his discarded clothes and beginning to dress.

By the time Inuyasha had finished and looked over Sesshomaru already looked as he always did, standing and staring up at the moon with his usual blank expression on his face.

How the hell did he always get dressed faster than him? Inuyasha rolled his eyes, walking over to the daiyoukai.

"We should probably get back to the others," The hanyou said, training his eyes on Sesshomaru's. The golden orbs flickered over, and the demon lord shook his head.

"Your humans can wait a little while longer. We must find someplace to get clean."

Inuyasha glanced upwards, noting the sun beginning to rise. Of course, when he looked back, Sesshomaru was already moving away, heading towards his destination. Inuyasha smirked, placing his hands in his pockets and following after his mate. He supposed that Kagome and the others could wait a little longer.  


* * *

The castle was quiet, calm, and peaceful… of course; this was probably only because it was so late. The servants were all tucked into their beds, glad to be finished with another day's work. The empty hallways were darkened and a bit disconcerting, the paintings that lined the tall walls seeming to stare at whoever passed.

One servant, however, was not resting silently in the servants quarters.

That is to say, he was resting silently in his lords— in Amatsu's chambers, with the daiyoukai himself, curled around his mate, their hands linked together. Shiuchi's head was laying lightly on Amatsu's chest and even in his unconscious state he could sense that his body was content, snuggling a bit closer to his chosen companion. Amatsu himself allowed his head to fall, his lips parted slightly as light snores fell from his mouth, resonating throughout the otherwise empty room.

All of a sudden, a rather cold chill seemed to fall over everything.

The two were not disturbed, but it was apparent that something wasn't quite right, as an almost transparent figure slithered up to the bed, watching the resting demons carefully. When they did not move the figure grew confident, reaching out an appendage and taking a hold of one of Amatsu's long, indigo-colored strands, yanking it straight from the daiyoukai's head.

Amatsu winced in his sleep, his crimson eyes fluttering open, glancing around the room for the source of his discomfort. He sat up slightly, jostling the demon on his chest, who let out a soft keening noise, his eyes opening blearily.

"…Amatsu? What is it?"

The demon frowned, sensing nothing, settling back down once more.

"…It's nothing Shu, go back to sleep."  


* * *

When Inuyasha and Sesshomaru finally wandered back into the village, Kagome was already in a thoroughly bad mood, and shot the two glares when they entered Kaede's hut. Sesshomaru took one look at the miko and couldn't help the urge to mock her, so after discerning that the demon slayer was all right, he left the hut as silently as he'd come in. Inuyasha watched him for a moment before turning away— Sesshomaru could take care of himself. The injured demon slayer appeared to be sleeping, and Miroku was looking down worriedly at her, though his expression was kept pleasantly neutral.

"How is she?" Inuyasha asked, leaning against one of the walls of Kaede's hut. Kagome pursed her lips, crossing her arms in a childish manner.

"Well, you would know, if you'd been here earlier, wouldn't you?"

Inuyasha blinked in a dumbfounded manner, glancing over to Miroku, who simply sighed and shook his head.

"She's been tired, but I think she's all right, other than that."

Inuyasha nodded, shifting slightly and placing his hands in the sleeves of his kimono. He knew they'd be stuck here for a while, since obviously Sango needed her rest— but something had been bothering him, ever since their previous battle.

That bat demon… it had to have been speaking of Naraku, right? If Naraku truly wanted him dead, why wouldn't he have just used one of his incarnations? Or at least a demon stronger than the bat had been… or what if, that had been the point? What if Naraku _wasn't_ trying to kill them— simply slow them down? Or perhaps—

"Inuyasha, we need to talk."

The hanyou glanced upwards, meeting Kagome's eyes with a look of mild surprise. The sudden words in the middle of his epiphany had startled him right out of it, and now he couldn't even remember what he'd been thinking about.

Ah, well.

Probably not important, anyway.

"Eh, sure Kagome, what's up?"

"Not here," She said, walking past him, outside the hut.

Inuyasha sighed, scratching the back of his head as he followed the determined miko.

He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

Ugh, perhaps he and Sesshomaru should have been a bit quieter last night…

Last night. The thought made a small pool of liquid fire appear in the hanyou's belly, and he glanced around for a moment, finally spotting Sesshomaru being harassed by some of the younger village girls who were fascinated by his hair. The sight had a small smile curling Inuyasha's lips, and he laughed silently as the daiyoukai hesitantly allowed the children to touch the silver strands, Rin joining in as well. She seemed to be pleased that he was finally back, and Inuyasha would put money on the fact that if Rin hadn't asked as well, Sesshomaru would have never let _anyone_ put their 'dirty fingers' on his 'gorgeous hair'. Save for Inuyasha, of course.

But that was another story.

Kagome led him back into Inuyasha forest, though they still stayed fairly close to the village, for which he was grateful. It was unlikely that anything would happen, but just in case…

"So what is it Kagome?" He asked, shifting a bit restlessly.

She turned to face him, her cheeks puffed out slightly, her brow furrowed in determination. The teenagers face was a bit flushed, and her hands were clenched into fists, and Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten her so worked up.

"Inuyasha, I…" She trailed off here and he frowned, waiting not so patiently for her to continue.

Finally she did, sobbing softly and throwing herself at his chest, grabbing desperately at the fabric of his kimono.

"I still love you!" She cried, a few tears streaming down her cheeks. Inuyasha leaned back slightly in surprise, a noise of confusion escaping his mouth. "Please! You being with Sesshomaru… it's— it's torture!"

The hanyou's expression turned to one of annoyance and he gripped her firmly by the shoulders, pulling her back.

"Look Kagome, I…"

He cut himself off, a strange feeling arising in the pit of his stomach. From the village he could hear something… sounded like… screams. And— there it was, a more familiar sound— Sesshomaru's voice.

His mate was in trouble.

Inuyasha abruptly turned, releasing the miko and darting back towards the village, using his nose to scent out where Sesshomaru was.

Once he'd cleared the tree line the smells became much easier to discern and another scent hit his nose, one he felt stupid not to have smelt before.

It was Naraku.

Upon entering the village Inuyasha snarled, noting Sesshomaru fending off what appeared to be another one of Naraku's incarnations, their long black hair pulled up into a neat ponytail. Their clothing was intricately designed, and from what Inuyasha could tell, this one was new.

The hanyou watched as Sesshomaru snarled, swinging his sword in a graceful arch towards the incarnation.

Whoever it was seemed to have a hard time fending off the demon lord, and Inuyasha relaxed slightly upon noting that he wasn't in any danger.

The daiyoukai seemed to be going at him rather quickly, Inuyasha noted— must've done something to Rin.

It was then, that the demon noticed Inuyasha.

It glanced over, deftly avoiding Sesshomaru's strike and flipping next to the hanyou, a small smirk appearing on his lips.

"Finally, the _real_ entertainment arrives."

Sesshomaru appeared mildly offended at this but didn't move, pointing his sword at the demon, but otherwise allowing Inuyasha to handle the situation. The hanyou scowled at the demon, drawing Tetsaisga and scoffing.

"Yeah, 'cause you were fairing so well against Sesshomaru."

The demon's eyes narrowed for a moment before he brought them to meet the hanyou's, shaking his head.

"Ah ah ah, insults will get you nowhere. Now, look into my eyes…"

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, about to comment on the utter weirdness of those words, before he found that he couldn't seem to look away from the demon's entrancing crimson orbs…

His mouth fell open slightly as he went into a semi-dazed state, his eyes wide and unblinking.

The demon's smirk grew, and Sesshomaru frowned, noting that something was indeed wrong. Not bothering to hesitate any longer the daiyoukai surged forward, swinging Tokijin and aiming directly for the little annoyance's head. At the last minute the incarnation turned, it's eyes widening before it flipped away, drawing out a small, paper crane from his kimono and throwing it into the air. It grew marginally in size and the demon came to rest upon it, looking down at Sesshomaru with an almost bored look in his eyes.

Seeing this, Sesshomaru was reminded of Kagura and he frowned, pausing.

"My name is Byakuya," The demon spoke, even as the crane lifted him higher into the air, "You would do well to remember it…"

Sesshomaru considered going after him for a moment, before sheathing his sword and deciding it wasn't really worth it. It wasn't like he had managed to do anything, anyway.

The daiyoukai walked back over to Inuyasha, who was still standing there with a dazed expression, standing in front of him and quirking an eyebrow.

"…Inuyasha." He spoke after a moment, attempting to bring the hanyou out of whatever trance he'd fallen into. When that didn't work Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, waving a hand briefly in front of the hanyou's face.

"_Inuyasha_," He repeated, starting to become a bit annoyed.

When that didn't work his eyes narrowed slightly and he frowned, flicking the hanyou's nose.

"Wake, _half-breed._"

Though Sesshomaru really only ever called the hanyou this in jest anymore, it seemed to work, for Inuyasha blinked rapidly, shaking his head as his vision came into focus. Sesshomaru stepped back, pleased with what he'd done, waiting for Inuyasha to register him.

When the hanyou finally did the daiyoukai quirked an eyebrow, licking his lips lightly as he prepared to speak.

"Are you all right?" He asked, making sure there was no trace of worry in his tone.

The hanyou furrowed his brow in confusion, taking a step away from his brother.

"…What?" He said in a dumbfounded manner, his hand moving to his sword.

Sesshomaru paused for a moment before scoffing lightly, rolling his eyes.

"Ha ha," The demon lord said blandly, tilting his head to the side, "Now in all seriousness, did that Byakuya character do something to you?"

Inuyasha appeared even more confused at this and he took a step back, watching Sesshomaru doubtfully.

At that moment Miroku ran up, clutching his staff tightly.

"Sesshomaru-sama, are you all right?" He asked, inclining his head, "I thank you for dealing with that… whoever that was. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help, but I wanted to make sure Sango was all right…" Miroku turned his head, noting the downright confused expression Inuyasha was sporting. "…Inuyasha? Are you all right?"

The hanyou frowned, his back stiffening.

"Miroku? What the hell's going on here?! Why is that _bastard_ traveling with us?"  


* * *

Foxgirl: Yeah, sorry about that terrible lemon. There was more to it, it was detailed and such, but I hated it so much I cut it out. :x Anyway, so, cliffhanger yeah? The plot, has been found!

Vixen: You have no right to ask these people to review, after what you did.

Foxgirl: (sobs) Please forgive me!


	3. Of Memory Loss and Extreme Confusion

Foxgirl: I'm really sorry for the delay. I had play practice, so I wasn't getting home until about 6:00 for the past couple of weeks, not to mention I'm all but failing spanish... -_- I hate my teacher. Anyway, here it is, long overdue. Please forgive me! Updates will be coming sooner, now that I actually have time to write.

* * *

Review replies:

**LordFluffy-kun: **Ah thank you Sesshomaru-sama! I'm so glad you like it. ^ ^ I'm attempting to practice writing lemons, so hopefully there will be some glorious inu smut in the future... =)

**valenKusano: **I'm glad you like Amatsu and Shu-kun! There will be more of them in the next chapter. x)

**Henpuku-Hime: **Glad you enjoyed! Sorry it's taking me so long. =\ But this story will be finished!

**Nameless Little Girl: **Thanks!

**Spottedstar106:** Ahaha, I was hoping it would be a bit of a twist. x)

**Khayos: **I'm so sorry! (Takes off cliff) There, all better. Though I can't guarantee you won't be left up there again in the future. x)

**Aniya Kaziuma:** So sorry it took me so long!

**Zbbal:** Here it is. ^ ^U Again, my apologies.

**Dragon77:** I hope you enjoy!

**CheekyHolmes:** Ah, you're right. I shall try my best! This fic can't be rated M for nothing. Thanks for the inspiration!

**Abhorsen228: **Thank you so much! I'll try and update quicker, I'm glad you like it!

**Mochiusagi: **So sorry for the long update!

**Poseida Lunar: **I don't know how many times I can apologize. D: Sorry! I'll try get get updates up more quickly!

**chick I don't know: **Sorry it took me so long. ^ ^ Here's the update- and Vixen is my muse. I curse my luck that she's a really temperamental and mean one. D:

**JulieMarie21: **Ah, but it's so fun being evil. x)

**Suki~: **I attempted to but in some naraku x kagura themes, just for you. ^ ^ Not to sure how well that worked out though.

**KatzeIason69: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. ^ ^

**Uchiha-Dusk: **Yup! But we all knew their relationship would have its problems. x) Thank you! Vixen says hi, too!

Vixen: No I don't.

Foxgirl: Heh heh, she's just kidding, really.

Vixen: No, I'm not.

Foxgirl: Vixen!

* * *

Chapter Three: Of Memory Loss and Extreme Confusion

* * *

Sesshomaru felt his lips part slightly, golden eyes resisting the urge to widen as they realized that yes, Inuyasha was serious, and yes, he really, truly _did not_ remember anything that had happened. The thought brought an ache to his chest that he couldn't control— and if Sesshomaru were a more emotional demon, he might have considered the thought that his heart was breaking. Inuyasha watched him warily and Miroku frowned, scratching the back of his head.

"Eh, Inuyasha, what are you talking about? You two are—"

Miroku wasn't able to finish his sentence as a rock hit him squarely on his forehead, causing him to stumble backwards onto the ground. Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha, keeping his expression cool and neutral. Not that Inuyasha would notice if it was any different than his memory was used to, but it was always good to be careful. The hanyou was looking at the monk with a mildly worried expression, but quickly turned back to Sesshomaru, reminding himself not to lower his guard. This blatant mistrust weighed heavily on the daiyoukai, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Just… how much do you remember, Otouto?" The daiyoukai asked, inwardly cringing as the nickname slipped. He really needed to make sure he didn't do anything to set Inuyasha off, especially if he really didn't remember anything that happened.

The hanyou watched him curiously, his brow furrowing at what his older brother had called him. That was… unusual.

"Eh, you came and asked me to help you get your youkai back…" Inuyasha trailed off here, seeming to recognize where he was. "But… how did we get here?"

Miroku sat up, rubbing his head and shooting an angry glare at the daiyoukai. Slowly he stood, straightening his robes, before turning to Inuyasha and tilting his head slightly to the side. Right, so Inuyasha had lost his memory. Apparently. Therefore, Sesshomaru was trying not to hint at anything that had happened, lest Inuyasha freak out. Understandable. But… if Inuyasha really didn't remember _anything_, then did that mean he'd forgotten about Sesshomaru? …Was that even possible? They _were_ mates. Then again, the irritated look the hanyou was sporting spoke volumes.

"Well Inuyasha, it appears that that demon did something to your memory," Miroku started. At the warning look from Sesshomaru he chose his words carefully, struggling to explain what had happened without giving too much away. "We restored Lord Sesshomaru's demonic abilities long ago," He explained, "And he has been traveling with us since then. He has been very helpful in our search— things were going quite well until Sango was injured yesterday."

Inuyasha nodded, seeming to have difficulty absorbing this information.

"Ah, and you two… well, you don't fight anymore, to put it lightly."

Inuyasha frowned, glancing over to his brother.

"…I find that hard to believe."

Sesshomaru exhaled softly, glancing down at the words.

It… hurt.

"Inuyasha!"

The three males turned at the sound of Kagome's voice, the hanyou perking up slightly. She ran over, a bit out of breath, her cheeks flushed. She appeared to have been crying, and Sesshomaru discreetly rolled his eyes, waiting for her to begin whining.

"Why did you run away from me like that!" She shouted, her tone angry. The hanyou furrowed his brow in confusion, scratching his head as he struggled to recall what she was talking about— why would he ever run away from Kagome? Miroku cleared his throat and he glanced over, shaking his head.

"Inuyasha has lost a bit of his memory, Lady Kagome," The monk spoke, sending her a pointed glance, "Particularly the ones involving Sesshomaru. Understand?"

Kagome paused, frowning lightly.

"…"

She thought for a moment, before it clicked.

And a slow smile lit up her face, before it was replaced with an unbearably fake frown, and Sesshomaru grit his teeth, his youkai snarling.

'**Let me at her.'**

'Calm yourself.'

'**Oh come on! It would take like two seconds!'**

"Oh! Oh, yes, I understand," She spoke, turning to look at the hanyou in question. He still appeared quite confused, but Kagome simply smiled prettily, clasping her hands behind her back. "Well that's too bad. Are we going to do something about it?"

"Of course," Sesshomaru said irritably, annoyed that she could be so dense. "There has to be some sort of remedy, it should not be too difficult to find."

Miroku nodded, glancing nervously between the daiyoukai and Inuyasha, who appeared to be trying to make sense of this whole mess. The monk could only imagine how Sesshomaru was feeling… though the daiyoukai was doing an exceptional job of acting like his normal, cold self. Or at least, how he had before Inuyasha and he had been mated. The demon lord had actually become quite enjoyable company, after he'd gotten over the fact that he was being forced to associate with humans. They'd known he wouldn't harm them because of Inuyasha, and it was interesting to hold a conversation with him— if he was in the right mood. Somehow, someway, the cold-hearted demon lord had elegantly made his way into his and Sango's hearts— and it pained him to see Sesshomaru so upset. Of course, he wouldn't show it, but the monk could tell. Or at least, he could take a guess. Who wouldn't be upset if their lover completely forgot about them?

"Shall we speak with Lady Kaede about it?" Miroku asked carefully, looking from Sesshomaru to the hanyou and back again. A curt nod from the daiyoukai was all it took for the rest of them to follow him to the priestess' hut, and even Kagome seemed to realize that he was not to be messed with, at the moment.

Honestly.

How _dare_ Inuyasha, go and forget about something so important.

'**Well it's not like its his fault. Now that Byakuya character, I'd like to get to **_**him**_** and wring his scrawny little neck!'**

'…That was a man?'

'…**Did you just make a joke?'**

"My lady, I'm afraid something's happened," Miroku began, nervously twiddling his fingers. This was _quite_ a situation they had gotten into— but then again, it didn't really surprise him. It seemed like all sorts of weird things happened around them.

"What is it Miroku?" Kaede asked, looking up from her spot on the floor, pouring Sango a cup of tea. The demon slayer was still in bed, though she seemed to be managing the pain rather well, a simply curious expression on her face as she waited for the news. Rin and Shippo were huddled around her, the former glancing up when her lord entered. Sesshomaru stayed silent, his eyes flashing angrily the more he thought about it. Damn it, if only he'd acted sooner— this never would have happened.

"It appears that Inuyasha has lost a good portion of his memory… more specifically, the part about how he and Sesshomaru— ah— joined forces."

Inuyasha snorted, crossing his arms and tactfully looking away from the daiyoukai. Sesshomaru cast his gaze to the side, pretending to find something interesting on the wall of the hut. Kami, but he wanted to hit something. Or someone. More specifically, Inuyasha.

Kaede blinked blankly, before the information seemed to set in, and her eyes widened, glancing between the two, clearing her throat.

"…Ah, I see," She stated carefully, not wanting to say anything that would incur Sesshomaru's wrath. Then again, the demon lord was probably already incensed, so there really was no point in watching her words. "Well then… that is… unfortunate."

"Unfortunate," The demon lord said dryly, meeting her gaze with an odd expression on his face. It looked like he was trying painfully hard not to just punch something. Or someone. …More specifically, Inuyasha. "Right. Now, how to you suggest we remedy this situation?"

Kagome— who was standing much closer to Inuyasha than the daiyoukai would have liked— shrugged.

"Well Sesshomaru, obviously we can't do anything about it now, not with Sango still hurt, after all."

The demon lord turned towards with a blank expression on his face, fingers twitching as he struggled not to strangle the young miko.

"Well then it appears the demon slayer will have to stay here then. In fact, why don't you stay with her, too, _shard _hunter?" His tone had barely changed, but it was apparent to all of them that had been traveling with Sesshomaru— save for perhaps Inuyasha— that he was quite upset. Furious would probably be a better word. Kagome's eyes narrowed and she bravely took a step forward, infiltrating the demon lords personal bubble and glaring at him with a fury that even the hanyou found a bit intimidating. Sesshomaru simply gave her a cool look, his eyes betraying nothing but impatience.

"If you're taking Inuyasha somewhere, then _I'm_ going too, right?" The miko turned to the half-demon, waiting for a confirmation. Sesshomaru flicked his gaze over as well, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from doing anything… rash.

"Er… right." The hanyou looked a bit confused at the daiyoukai's pointed stare but spoke nothing of it, turning instead to Kaede. "Well, if my memory really _has_ been tampered with, how are we gonna go about getting it back?"

Miroku leapt at this chance for a distraction, guiding the half demon over to the old woman without missing a beat, the rings on his staff clanging annoyingly as they banged against each other.

"Yes, what do you suggest Lady Kaede?"

Nothing.

For a moment all was silent as Kaede set down the demon slayers cup, staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on her face. They all waited impatiently, Kagome shifting around and shooting dirty looks at Sesshomaru while he pointedly ignored her, as Inuyasha tried and failed to figure out what the hell was going on. The two children were a bit confused but took it all in stride, realizing that now was the time to sit quietly and behave— for once. They could always make up for lost time by annoying Inuyasha later.

"…Well…"

Everyone snapped to attention as the priestess spoke, Inuyasha's ears twitching slightly.

"There is perhaps… one way."

"Get on with it!"

"Patience Inuyasha," Miroku warned, noticing Kaede's cross expression. She really was one for theatrics.

"There is an old witch, who lives far up in the mountains. She specializes in illusions, and the inner workings of the mind— she might have something that will help you."

Inuyasha stood then, his hand on the handle of the Tetsaisga, as if he were already contemplating how many demons he'd have to kill.

"Right then! Just how far in the mountains are we talking here?" He asked, a furrow to his brow that no one had seen since Sesshomaru and he had mated.

Kaede sighed softly, attempting to mentally make a path in her head, trying to determine how long it would take them.

"Seeing as Kirara will want to stay here with Sango, and the mountain I am referring of is much too small for Sesshomaru's larger form, you will probably not be able to find her for a good two weeks time— that is, if she is feeling particularly lenient whatever day you come upon her."

Sesshomaru took this moment to take a mental step back from the conversation, listening for any particularly interesting details, but otherwise, focusing on the bigger problem here. Inu's mated for life— you couldn't just _break_ the bond between two mates. When one died, the other either followed closely after, or eventually withered away to nothing after pining for their chosen mate for years on end. If one of the bonded pair was to be neglected by their chosen mate… well, there were consequences. Even now Sesshomaru's youkai was beginning to get agitated, and even more so when it found that Inuyasha did nothing to soothe it, in its obviously agitated state.

The demon lord snorted, rolling his eyes upwards.

Right.

_Obviously_ agitated. If Inuyasha couldn't read him before they'd taken an interest in one another, what made him think he could read him now, when he'd lost all recollection of their bond?

It took the demon lord a few moments, but after a while of silence, he realized that he was being stared at.

He came back to the present, eying the humans blankly.

"..."

After a few more seconds of saying nothing he quirked an eyebrow, which seemed to snap everyone out of it.

"Sesshomaru… are you feeling all right?" Miroku asked tentatively. After all, he was positive the great demon lord wouldn't just _snort_ in such an… undignified manner for no reason, and especially not in the company of others. Most likely, he'd been lost in thought. And the monk could guess plainly what it had been about.

"I am fine, monk. When are we departing?"

"Lady Kaede said we should leave in the morning, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin said excitedly, to which the daiyoukai regarded with a blank stare.

"…And who said you were coming, Rin?"

The child immediately widened her eyes, pouting within milliseconds of the statement.

"But Sesshomaru-sama—"

"As much as I hate to admit it, Sesshomaru's right," Inuyasha grunted, "We'll be able to travel faster without both of you."

Shippo looked mildly offended, puffing his chest out in what he probably thought looked 'manly'.

"Hey! I'll have you know— you need me Inuyasha, I—"

Sesshomaru stopped listening here, walking out of the hut with a carefully cooled expression, nothing the curious gazes turned his way. He'd done his part, acted like the 'caring brother' he now apparently was, and could no longer deal with Inuyasha's irritated glances towards him, and constant shifting away. It was too much for his youkai to handle, he simply needed to… think. He walked a ways into Inuyasha forest, knowing that the hanyou would take care of everything they'd need for the trip— which wouldn't be much. Mostly a simple food pack for the monk and the miko, assuming they were coming. Which, knowing the old Inuyasha, they definitely were. He would never want to be _alone_ for days at a time with only Sesshomaru for company— whatever would they do?

…Well, the daiyoukai could think of a few things, all of which his libido approved of.

Of course, now was not the time for that.

The demon lord paused upon reaching the Goshinboku tree, stopping to simply stand in front of it and stare, as if he'd actually had a purpose for traveling out this way.

Though he stood quite still, his mind was racing, putting pieces of the haphazardly lain out puzzle he'd been given together.

So.

Obviously Inuyasha seemed to only have forgotten things up to the point where he had entered the hanyou's life again, and there had to be a reason for that, right? This had to have been done on purpose. And that Byakuya character reeked too much of Naraku for suspicions not to have arisen. But why would Naraku want Inuyasha to forget about Sesshomaru? It just didn't make any sense. He could see no possible way that the spider would benefit from it… unless—

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

The demon lord turned at his name, a bit annoyed at being interrupted while he was so deep in his musings.

"Hn?" He murmured noncommittally, staring somewhere above Miroku's left eyebrow. The monk sighed slightly, taking a step closer, watching the demon carefully.

"Are… you all right?"

Sesshomaru sighed a bit impatiently, facing the monk completely, now. This was the problems with having acquaintances, he'd found. They were always… _worried_ about you. Though he did find the monk… tolerable—if not halfway bearable when he wasn't groping some unsuspecting woman's ass. Of course, the repercussions were always entertaining. Except for the time the monk had apparently found it all right to 'accidentally' touch the daiyoukai himself… which brought him the wrath of two powerful inu demons, who proceeded to not speak to him for days afterwards.

Honestly.

'_This_ Sesshomaru does not look remotely feminine.'

'**But we **_**do**_** have a nice ass.'**

"Do not ask irrelevant questions, monk," The daiyoukai stated, choosing to ignore his youkai's lat comment, true as it may be. He was in no mood to converse about his 'feelings', or whatever the human had come here to do. Just because he could tolerate him, didn't mean he wanted to stay in his presence for longer than needed. His ears twitched slightly as he heard the monk sigh, and Sesshomaru turned back towards the tree, tilting his head up to stare at the branches above.

"…A bit of advice, Sesshomaru, if you will."

This got the demon lords attention, and he quirked an eyebrow in slight irritation, though he made no move to face the human.

"Inuyasha may not remember you… but no matter what that demon did to his memory, it can't make him forget his emotions. He still feels something for you, I'm sure of it. You just have to… encourage that feeling."

The demon lord blinked, forgoing his stoic nature and turning around, facing the monk with a blank expression.

"…Are you suggesting that I _seduce_ my brother?" He asked, tone dry. Miroku appeared to be fighting back a sly smile, and he shrugged, turning on his heel and beginning to walk back to the village.

"Just consider what I've said."

As Sesshomaru stood there, watching the monk leave, he couldn't help the slight twitching of his lip as he thought of their brief conversation.

'_Seduce Inuyasha_,' He thought to himself, shaking his head. 'Right.'

'**Hold on there, he may be on to something…'**

'You can't be serious.'

'**No, think about it… we already know all the things that'll drive Inuyasha crazy, and then some. Why not use it to our advantage? We don't want him running after that little shard hunter, now do we?'**

Sesshomar considered it. It was true— if left to his own devices, Inuyasha would most certainly begin chasing after the miko. If he'd lost as much memory as Sesshomaru assumed he did, then he probably still thought he was in love with the brat. Er— human.

'…Fine. But this will be done in a simple, and tasteful manner.'

'**Sure Sesshy,' **His youkai replied— and he could just _hear_ it smirking.'**Whatever you say.'  
**

**

* * *

**

The next morning, everything happened as the demon lord predicted it might. Rin gave him an only slightly tearful goodbye, a crown of daisies as his parting present, Shippo gave Inuyasha some 'advice' on how not to be an idiot, Kagome flirted with the clueless hanyou, Miroku attempted to stay a pacifist, and Sesshomaru ignored the whole lot— save for maybe Rin— in favor of leaning only slightly moodily against Ah-Un. Its ever calm demeanor comforted the daiyoukai a bit— like he wasn't the only sane person there. As Sango bid them all farewell, it was more than obvious that Miroku felt guilty about leaving her behind.

"Don't worry Miroku, I'll be fine," She assured him, not even flinching when she jostled her broken arm. It was healing nicely, according to Kaede, and for that, Miroku was eternally grateful. He had promised her, after all, that they'd be married after Naraku died, and he just didn't see that happening if she was... well, dead. And he knew that Sango would be happy as well— she would be devastated if she was unable to slay demons any longer. If her arm had been infected... well, he was just glad that Kaede had took care of it when she did.

"All right. We'll return as soon as we can," Miroku said to her, absentmindedly running a finger through a stray lock of brown hair on her pillow. She flushed lightly, looking to the side for a moment, before turning back, her gaze steely.

"...And no flirting, you lecherous monk."

"Sango, you wound me."

"Come _on_ Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted impatiently, shouldering Kagome's relatively heavy pack onto Ah-Un, attaching it the rest of the dragon's saddlebags. They had everything they'd need— some food that would last them, if no game was available, clean water, and of course, Kagome had packed the usual sleeping bags, towels, etc. Sesshomaru still found it a bit odd that the miko was from a different time, but it only solidified his inner argument that she and Inuyasha shouldn't be together. So really, it wall worked out in the end.

Miroku stood, smiling brightly at the wounded demon slayer, saying his goodbyes to the children and Kaede as well, before exiting the hut. Inuyasha, Kagome and Sesshomaru were standing near the two-headed dragon, the hanyou bearing a slightly irritated expression on his face.

"Took you long enough," He mumbled, grabbing Ah and Un's reins, beginning to tug them in the direction of the forest. Kagome was quick to sidle up next to him, establishing her 'usual' place at the hanyou's side, which made Sesshomaru suppress a growl.

If the look on Inuyasha's face was anything to go by, things were more serious than he had originally thought. Perhaps he'd have to put his plan into action sooner than he would have liked...

* * *

"...Of course."

Naraku watched the scene in front of him with a dismissive air, his eyes narrowed slightly. He drummed his fingers on one of his legs, waving Kanna away with one hand as he turned his head.

"Leave me," The hanyou ordered, eyes staring carefully at the wall as he considered his options. Yes, he'd known that they were likely going to try and get Inuyasha's memory back— he just hadn't anticipated that they'd start so soon. He'd taken the necessary precautions, but it was possible that Noizuke wouldn't get there quick enough...

No matter.

He was sure that his latest incarnation would be able to handle things...

In the mean time, he'd simply work on slowing them down.

Turning his head once more Naraku stood, the motion fluent as he went from his cross legged position into an easy stride, heading towards one of the numerous sliding doors in his 'castle'. It was good that Inuyasha and his pack had yet to find it, or he'd have much bigger things to worry about than simply forcing Sesshomaru and Inuyasha apart. If his plan succeeded, stealing the last of the sacred jewel shards from the hanyou would no longer be a problem— and once he had all the shards, it would take little effort on his part to destroy the hanyou.

"Kagura," He purred, pushing the door open easily. He walked over to the crumpled figure on the ground, kneeling over it as a slow smile curled his lips. "Wake up. It seems I need use of you, once more."

The wind sorceress wearily lifted her head, blood red eyes meeting Naraku's mud-colored ones. He reached a hand out, stroking a finger almost fondly down one of her cheeks, her flesh trembling with his touch. This brought about another smirk— she was scared of him.

How precious.

"You won't do anything idiotic like last time, will you?" The hanyou asked patronizingly, moving his fingers down until they wrapped loosely around her throat. "Because if you betray me again, I will not be so lenient."

He could feel her swallow, her eyes never straying from his. There was a pause, where the air was filled with nothing but silence, the darkness of his home making the seconds seem painfully longer than they were.

"...I'll do whatever you ask of me, Naraku."

* * *

Sesshomaru had forgotten what it was like to watch the human with his brother. Even before he'd asked Inuyasha for help all those months ago, whenever he was around, he could always sense this... underlying _something_, between the miko and Inuyasha. And it was really, _really_ hard to act like he wasn't jealous. Because he totally wasn't. Not. At. All. In fact, the twitch in his left eye was a result of a minor muscle spasm— it happened all the time. Especially when the miko was around.

...Kami he despised existance, at the moment.

Inuyasha himself was a bit... confused, to say the least.

It was strange, the last thing he remembered of Kagome...

_"I still love you! Please! You being with Sesshomaru… it's— it's torture!"_

So that seemed to prove that his brother had indeed been traveling with them. But... why would that bother Kagome? And... she had said that she loved him.

That brought quite an odd sensation to his chest, as if he weren't quite sure what to do with himself. He should be ecstatic, right? That was all he'd ever wanted, Kagome's love. ...So why didn't it feel like enough anymore? And... why the hell did Sesshomaru keep staring at him?

He glanced over his shoulder at the demon lord, who appeared to have found something interesting in the trees off to his right.

Inuyasha knew better though, he was _positive_ he'd been staring. And he was going to catch him, too...

But even beyond that, Kagome seemed to be acting really strange. Sure, she'd payed a lot of attention to him before, but... now it was almost as if she was trying very, very hard to keep his focus. Not that it took much effort on her part, he loved her, after all. Didn't he? ...Well, he held a very strong affection for her, if nothing else.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku called, pulling him out of a one-sided conversation with Kagome that had something to do with her 'Skool' from the future. He twitched an ear in question, relieved when teenagers babbling sopped.

Which confused him, just a bit... he'd always found Kagome's chatter soothing, hadn't he?

"How long do you think it will be before we reach the base of the mountain?"

The half-demon drew himself out of his thoughts, shaking his head slightly.

"If we keep heading in this direction, it'll probably take us about five days, at the least. More so depending on how many times we stop."

"And how long do you predict it will take us to find this sorceress?"

Inuyasha was startled slightly by the sound of his brothers voice— especially as it was addressing him. He just wasn't used to this whole, 'Sesshomaru's with us now' thing. It was too weird. And even weirder was the fact that something inside of him seemed oddly placated by it, like Sesshomaru's presence soothed some sort of... something, that his youkai was craving.

Then again, he probably just needed to get some more sleep.

Yeah, that was it. His youkai had been sending him a lot of weird signals lately, anyway.

"Eh, well, if she's as 'elusive' as Kaede say's she is, another four days. And that's not counting the time it'll take us to get _up_ the mountain."

The daiyoukai nodded before looking off in another direction, arms swinging idly by his sides.

Of course, Sesshomaru could have figured that out by himself.

He really just wanted Inuyasha's attention on _him _for a few moments, and not that spoiled brats.

Not that he was jealous.

No, where ever would anyone get an idea like that?

* * *

foxgirl: Well, there it is. I'll get started on chapter four right away, so I can get it up faster. This is currently un-beta'd, but I'll send it to her as soon as I get a chance.

vixen: (yawns) Finally. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about this.

foxgirl: Shut up. Review please!


	4. Of Shady Occurrences and Attempted Seduc

This chapter is dedicated to Lord Fluffy-kun, for brightening up my day. ^ ^

**Review reply's:**

**

* * *

Khayos: **Oh, don't worry. Kagome shall not succeed! At least, not if I have anything to say about it. This is inucest, after all. x)

**Kale24**: Yes... I am quite looking forward to the seduction as well. Though I'm sure Sesshomaru's dreading it. cx

**Henpuku****-Hime**: Thank you! Yes, I can't say I really like her either at this point... though why I keep her around is beyond me. Plot development I suppose. x)

**Lord Fluffy-kun**: Ahahaha, every time I read your reviews I'm like, 'Ah, this is from the almighty Lord Sesshomaru! O^o Here is this update, just for you. ^ ^ And of course you have a nice ass, you're Lord Fluffy. x)

**KrazynKuki**: Ah, I'm glad. ^ ^ Yeah, a lot of people are pretty angry at our favorite hanyou right now... ^ ^U

**KatzeIason69**: I'm glad you liked it!

**Demonic-Otaku**: Yes, me too. *-* Especially after this chapter.

**JuliaMarie21**: Ahaha, it will certainly be interesting to write about... ;)

**Demitria Miriam**: Yup! It's nice to get to write about Naraku for once, usually I just sort of cut him out of my stories. x)

**Pumpkinpi**: Haha, yeah, that's pretty much Naraku down to a T. Glad you enjoyed!

**Uchiha-Dusk**: Oh, don't be afraid of Vixen! She's just... uh, misunderstood?

Vixen: No, I just hold a general hatred for mankind.

Foxgirl: ...o.O

**A Girl I Don't Know**: No, it's not on Hiatus. x) I just take a while to update. ^ ^U I do have a youtube account, but I have nothing good on there. Here's the update! ^^;;;

**Pqna '-'**: I'm glad you liked it. ^ ^ Though I am a bit confused on what you're asking... ^ ^U

**Verdandi Iona**: Haha, of course he is! I love the youkai's too, definitely some of my favorite's to write.

**Atheist1**: Yeah, for an innocent little teen she is pretty sneaky... and we all know Fluffy's jealous. x)

**YaoiNaru**: Haha, thanks! I was wondering how people would react to it, I thought it might be an interesting idea. =)

**Mochiusagi**: Here's the update!

**Nightmother**: Don't worry! I could never make Fluffy suffer... not for too long, anyway. *u*

**Artistic Dragon**: Yay as well. x)

**Yuuki-Minami-Chan**: Aha, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. (=^ ^=) I hope you like this story as well!

* * *

Chapter Four: Of Shady Occurrences and Attempted Seduction

* * *

Kagome had a plan.

An ingenious plan— a brilliant plan— a plan that surpassed even Naraku's most insidious plots.

Then again, that wasn't saying much.

She was going to seduce Inuyasha.

It definitely wouldn't be hard— especially now that Sesshomaru was out of the picture. And besides, she'd been friends with him for much longer than he'd become all 'buddy buddy' with Sesshomaru. If anything, she was doing him a favor! Who would want to actually _be_ with the demon lord? Sure, he was quite easy on the eyes, but his personality left something to be desired. No, even if Inuyasha _did_ get his memory back— and that was a big if— he would definitely thank her. She had saved him from a life of waking up to, 'Die, Inuyasha.' Of course… there was still guilt. The daiyoukai probably wouldn't appreciate her stealing the hanyou right out from under his nose— but he didn't even look like he cared that Inuyasha had gone back to hating him! Anyone who could walk alongside someone they 'loved' who had forgotten them, and be completely unaffected, obviously felt no sort of attraction to said other person— let alone anything greater.

So. Really, this was a good thing, she was doing. It was all for the best, in the end. And Sesshomaru would see that, eventually.

"Inuyasha, the ramen's ready!" Kagome called cheerfully, taking the cup noodles from over the fire and holding it out in the hanyou's general direction. They had all stopped and made camp for the night, the worrying thinness of the crescent moon making Inuyasha more willing to submit to the miko's will. It would be the new moon, soon, and it would be no use to even attempt to climb Mount Gakuran without his powers. Ah and Un would only slow them down at that point— they planned to leave the two-headed dragon behind at the base, and continue ahead. Inuyasha would carry Kagome, Sesshomaru would carry Miroku— granted he was in a good enough mood— and they'd climb as high as they could before the demons became too tired. Following this pace, it shouldn't take very long to find the witch— granted she _wanted_ to be found. That was the only problem any of them were worried about. Even if they did make it all the way up the mountain, if they were unable to find the witch, all their trouble would have been for nothing.

Not that Kagome minded.

If Inuyasha couldn't get his memory back, then that was all the better. She planned to have won his affections by then, anyway. She was positive that before Sesshomaru came along, Inuyasha had very strong feelings for her. She just had to act on those feelings, that was all. And though she had no experience with this sort of thing, it couldn't be _too_ difficult. She'd just have to make sure her intentions were clear, and direct. It would be a complex plan, and might be just a bit tedious, but she was willing to deal with it, for Inuyasha.

"Thanks," The hanyou said, taking the bowl with a short nod to the teen. Kagome tilted her head slightly to the side and gave him a wide smile, attempting to be as cute as possible.

"Your welcome!" She responded, closing her eyes with a short giggle. The miko turned away then, preparing the rest of the food for Miroku and herself, silently smirking as she thought about how to set her plan into motion.

Inuyasha, for his part, hadn't quite noticed the recent oddness of the shard detector, as he was still a bit troubled by Sesshomaru. Why, after years of fighting, did they suddenly just join forces?

The hanyou's amber eyes searched out the daiyoukai in the darkening light of the field, the moon's beams bright and clear on the ground. They'd gotten through Inuyasha forest earlier, and though the half demon didn't like that they were so out in the open, their didn't appear to be anything dangerous hanging around— most likely too fearful of Sesshomaru's powerful scent. The moonbeams and the crackling fire were the only things giving any sort of illumination, and in the dark of the night, everything appeared to move slow— but with an odd clearness. Miroku sat across from Kagome, meditating as he waited for the rest of his food, and Inuyasha glanced around, searching for his brother in the grass.

It didn't take too long to find him, a flash of pure silver hair catching Inuyasha's eye. The demon lord sat a bit away from the others, on top of a small hill that he seemed to have claimed for himself. Ah-Un was next to him, both of its heads resting on the cool ground in front of it's scaly legs. Sesshomaru's head was tilted upwards, eyes fixed on the moon hanging in the sky, the light casting odd shadows upon his pale skin. Inuyasha faltered for a moment, standing and simply watching his brother, curiosity brimming to a point where he simply couldn't take it any longer. With only a slight pause, he set a determined look onto his face, pulling the chopsticks from his cup of ramen and taking a large bite of the noodles, walking over to the daiyoukai without hesitation.

He saw Sesshomaru's ears twitch as his footsteps registered to the demon lord, but he didn't acknowledge Inuyasha at all as he came over, eyeing him carefully as he sat down a suitable distance away, continuing to nom on his ramen. The half-demon furrowed his brow, crossing his legs as he studied his brother, attempting to figure out what was so different about him now. It was like… his whole persona had _changed_ somehow, but he wasn't quite sure what it was…

"Did you just plan on staring at me, or do you have something to say?"

Inuyasha blanched, reeling backwards before springing forward, raising a fist in defense.

"I— I wasn't staring! Baka! I just… I want to ask you something. And don't even think of ignoring me!"

Once finished with his little tirade the hanyou slurped up the last of his noodles, placing the cup beside him and glaring angrily at his brother. Really, the idiot was always so disagreeable and just generally an asshole, there was no telling what he'd do. Perhaps attempt to start a fight? Sesshomaru did like to bait him… of course, he always fell for it, but that wasn't the point.

"All right."

"Eh?" Inuyasha blinked, expression falling slightly. Sesshomaru blinked slowly, stopping his intense star gazing and turning his head towards his brother, the shadows playing across the exposed flesh on his neck. The half-demon's eyes glanced down at the skin briefly, before he looked up again, meeting Sesshomaru's gaze and frowning.

There was a pause, before Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow, looking expectant.

"…What?" Inuyasha asked, not used to such prolonged calmness from the daiyoukai.

"You said you had something to ask me, did you not?"

Blink.

"…Feh— yes." Inuyasha said arrogantly, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "I want to know why you got so soft all of a sudden."

"…Soft?"

"Yea. I mean, last thing I remember, we were fighting every time we saw each other, and now, we're practically having a normal conversation!" The hanyou threw his arms up in exasperation, furrowing his brow. "I don't get it!"

For a moment, Sesshomaru looked mildly affronted— and Inuyasha wondered when it had become so easy to read the demon lord. It didn't take long for his brother's expression to smoothen out, and the demon lord turned away, looking back up at the sky.

"It was as much your decision as it was mine, Otouto."

Inuyasha bristled, the word bringing an odd feeling up to his throat.

"Don't call me that," The hanyou snapped, yanking his gaze away from the demon lord.

Sesshomaru blinked, inhaling so softly that Inuyasha barely heard it.

"…As you wish. What would you prefer I call you, then? Half-breed? A stain on our family's bloodline? Or perhaps…"

Inuyasha allowed his eyes to flicker over, surprised as they caught the almost apathetic ones of his brother. The hanyou was startled to feel his face begin to warm at the level, golden stare, and he glanced down, breaking contact and staring pointedly at the grass.

That was… weird.

"Feh— bastard. Why can't you just be like everyone else and start with my _name_?"

"…Fine, _Inuyasha_."

Shiver. The hanyou's eyes widened and he tensed, feeling his face begin to warm once again. The demon lord's voice… it was huskier than usual, almost as if…

No, but when Inuyasha looked up, Sesshomaru was once again looking at the stars.

The half-demon frowned, shaking his head. Eh, that was stupid of him. Honestly, as if Sesshomaru would… his voice was just naturally like that.

'**What, naturally sexy?'**

'What? No! I— what?'

"While this conversation has, of course, been entertaining, I shall be going now."

Inuyasha glanced over, watching as the demon lord stood, walking back towards the others. The hanyou frowned, his brow furrowing as Ah-Un got up as well, following the demon lord and settling down beside him. Miroku turned his head, saying something to the daiyoukai, which he didn't appear to be particularly interested in.

"…Tch."

It was… strange. Sesshomaru and Miroku seemed to have some sort of odd truce going on, and it confused the hanyou to no end. It did seem to prove that Sesshomaru had been with them for a while. Though Miroku was certainly a friendly person, the daiyoukai definitely wouldn't allow someone to speak to him so freely if there wasn't some degree of trust. But… why? What could possibly cause Sesshomaru to want to stay with them all? The daiyoukai hated humans, didn't he? And he _definitely _hated him, there was no doubt about that. Inuyasha frowned, turning forward again and crossing his arms, glancing up and attempting to see what was so damn interesting about the sky.

"Whatcha thinking' about?"

The half-demon started, noting Kagome standing over him. He glanced upwards, ears twitching, a slight frown on his lips.

He hadn't even noticed her coming… this thing with Sesshomaru must be bothering him more than he'd originally thought. The miko sat down and he looked up again, waiting for her to speak. There was a pause, before he heard a slight sigh, and there was a gentle weight on his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly and he turned, a bit surprised by her actions. She wasn't usually this forward… but then again, Kagome _had _been acting strange lately. Besides, this wasn't too unusual, was it? He allowed the contact, turning back towards the stars, the slight frown on his face growing deeper.

"You shouldn't let Sesshomaru get to you, Inuyasha."

"Uh— wha?"

"What were you two talking about? You seem off." Kagome looked up towards him, a worried expression on her face. Inuyasha sighed, attempting to have a bit of patience. She was just concerned about him, that was all. It wasn't her fault Sesshomaru was infuriating.

"Feh. I'm fine," He said, forcing his eyes to close. "Shouldn't you be getting some sleep? We'll need to get up early in the morning."

The miko giggled, leaning a bit closer, smiling. "I'm glad you're concerned… but there's no need to worry about me. Besides, you should be more focused on the moon cycle— it's almost that time, isn't it?"

Inuyasha looked up at the moon, frowning slightly at its state. At this rate, it would only be able two or three more days until he was human.

"…Don't worry, it shouldn't slow us down too badly."

"Well, that's not what I'm worried about…"

* * *

"Ah, Shu-kun! I've been looking all over for you."

Shiuchi turned, watching as Amatsu came down the hall.

"Amatsu…"

The demon lord moved closer, pressing a kiss to his mate's lips and rubbing his head gently.

"Meet me in the gardens, okay? I want to talk to you about something."

Shiuchi nodded, flushing slightly at the affectionate gesture.

"All right. I was just about to go to the library, so give me a sec, m'kay?"

Amatsu nodded, continuing down the hall and waving behind him. "Sure, I'll be waiting!"

The fox demon sighed lightly, adjusting the books in his hands and making his way towards his destination, a small smile unable to leave his lips. Honestly, he couldn't help but be happy… after so long, the only thing he'd ever wanted more than anything else had finally happened. Of course, he would have continued on as always had Sesshomaru become Amatsu's mate, but…

He was so happy that things had worked out the way they did. Even after the months that had followed, he could still barely believe it.

When Shiuchi reached the door to the library he opened it quickly, attempting to finish his task so he could go find Amatsu. He wasn't sure what his love wanted, but whatever it was, it was sure to be important, or he'd have simply told him when he'd seen him earlier.

The lithe fox hummed a bit as he went about his business, placing the books back on the shelves, standing on his tip toes to reach a few.

It wasn't very long before he began to notice something strange.

There was no noticeable scent, and he could hear nothing— but an odd coldness seemed to have fallen over everything, leaving his with goosebumps crawling up his arms. Shiuchi turned, placing the rest of the books on the shelf in front of him and furrowing his brow. He could see no one in the room, but the emptiness did nothing to ease his troubles.

"…Hello? Is someone there?"

There was nothing.

But…

Shiuchi's eyes widened and he inhaled sharply, tensing, before falling to the side, jumping back and watching as the bookshelf was jostled, as if something had rammed into it rather harshly. He frowned, rubbing his arms as an odd chill ran through him, turning and moving quickly towards the door. He wasn't quite sure what was wrong, but…

Feeling a strange sense of fear the fox demon began to move faster, his heart pounding as he grasped the handle, glancing over his shoulder as his whole body felt as if it were covered with ice. A strange black shape moved towards him with impossible speed and he gasped, shutting his eyes as it struck his back, filling his person with a chill that reached all the way down to his fingertips, numbing his core and rendering him unable to feel anything. He grit his teeth, clutching at his chest as the sensation spread, leaving him with nothing to do but breathe, his weakened legs causing him to fall to the floor.

He felt his eyes falling shut and he panted harshly, shaking his head as all control left his body.

"A—Amatsu…"

* * *

"So, have you made your move yet?"

"As tactful as ever."

"I'm just asking as to whether you've taken my advice or not, is that so wrong?"

Sesshomaru frowned, ignoring the monk in favor of watching the miko smoosh herself all over _his_ hanyou. Of course, he wasn't really his anymore…

And that was the problem, wasn't it?

"Are you jealous?"

"…What?" Sesshomaru almost snapped, turning to stare at the monk with a more than surprised look in his eyes. How _dare _he. No one was so bold as to address him in such a way— honestly. Implying that _this_ Sesshomaru had flaws.

"I said, are you jealous?" Miroku repeated, obviously amused.

Sesshomaru scoffed, turning away with a flick of his head as he glanced back at his brother and the miko.

"Of course not," He answered, his voice the perfect amount of disinterest mixed with annoyance. Of course, the monk wasn't fooled, and he smiled softly at the daiyoukai, watching as he stared levelly at the Inuyasha and Kagome on the hill. He wouldn't admit it, of course, but Sesshomaru really was quite easy to read, if you knew how to do it. And he'd been traveling with the demon lord long enough to have observed these sorts of things— not to mention the information he'd managed to wheedle out of Inuyasha. It was in the daiyoukai's eyes— how upset he was about the whole situation. The slight tenseness of his mouth, and his rigid posture were a dead giveaway as well.

"You should consider what I said to you, Lord Sesshomaru," Miroku spoke, catching the demon lord's amber gaze as he turned. He looked over to his friends, a slight frown turning his lips as he watched Kagome cuddle up to the hanyou. He wasn't sure if she was doing it intentionally or not, but surely the miko would realize that with his memories erased, his feelings would be in pure turmoil? …Or perhaps, that was what she was counting on.

Then again… no, Kagome wasn't like that. She wouldn't take advantage of a situation like this.

Would she?

"I'm not as knowledgeable on that subject as you appear to be, I'm afraid."

Miroku paused, before smirking, tilting his head slightly.

"Well then I'll just have to teach you, won't I?"

* * *

"The Kage has succeeded."

A slow grin spread across the black-haired hanyou's thin lips, and he lifted his head, nodding at the white-haired girl.

"Excellent. Then it won't be long before the rest of it is taken care of."

There was no response from the pale child, but then, he hadn't expected one. Naraku nodded, standing and moving towards the room where Kagura was being held. He pushed open the sliding door, stepping just inside and waiting, the wind sorceress tensing as she acknowledged his presence.

"Kagura," He purred, his smirk growing. "It is time."

* * *

Foxgirl: Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Vixen: Yes. We... grea-tly appreciate you... reading this fic. Please review.

Foxgirl: ...Vixen... are you... are you being -nice-?

Vixen: Shut up. I'm not that scary.

Foxgirl: Are you referring to the review we got from Uchia-Dusk?

Vixen: ...No- shut up! Review! Or I'll chop Foxgirl into itty bitty pieces so she can't write anymore!

Foxgirl: ...TT^TT

**Next time, in Indigo Moon~**

-Fluffy finally puts his seduction plan into work!

-What's gotten into Shiuchi, we wonder? Though I'm sure no one's more confused than Amatsu...

-And who's this mysterious person following the inu gang?

Find out, in the next installation of... this fanfiction! :D


	5. Of Strange Happenings and Babbling Mikos

Foxgirl: Okay, sorry this took so long! I forgot to tell you guys, but I had to go to this summer college program, and I wasn't allowed to take my laptop. :| Anyway, that's over, and I'm back! **Dragondee** has been helping me a lot with my story, and is even going to help me write a lemon! I want to show her my thanks, and dedicate this chapter to them. ^ ^ Dragondee came up with the last part of this chapter, and I have adapted it based on what she sent me. It's been really helpful to get the story rolling along, as I had a bit of writers block for a while. However, I know where I want to go from here!

And, just to warn you, Kikyo will be in this. -_- I'm dreading actually writing her, though... ugh.

This chapter isn't my favorite, but it does have a few good parts. Tell me what you think!

* * *

Chapter Five: Of Strange Happenings and Babbling Miko's

* * *

"All right. I'm not sure about your situation before hand, but right now, with Inuyasha as he is, he's going to need someone he can dominate."

"…"

"So first of all, you're going to have to stop acting all high and mighty around him, and show your more endearing side."

"…Mhm—"

"Smile at him every once in a while— and make sure he catches you from behind often."

"…Monk."

Miroku turned to the demon lord and blinked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes?"

The monk felt something crash into his skull, and he fell backwards, hitting the ground rather harshly. He sat back up, waving a hand at the daiyoukai and laughing. Really, he was just trying to help him out— there was no need to get violent. Now he knew how Jaken felt…

"Oh come now, Lord Sesshomaru!" Miroku said, moving over towards him and poking two fingers into either sides of his cheeks, ignoring the rather evil glare he was receiving. He pushed at the daiyoukai's face, forcing him to smile and returning the gesture, nodding. "See? Now, if Inuyasha saw you like _this_ more often, he might not be so wary of you!"

"Do you have a death wish?"

* * *

"I just don't get it…"

"Get what?"

Inuyasha turned to the girl happily cuddled up towards him, frowning.

"Him and Miroku. They're acting like their old pals!"

Kagome shook her head, waving a hand as if it didn't really concern her.

"Oh, Miroku just likes annoying him. I'm surprised though, usually Sesshomaru isn't that tolerant. I wonder what they're talking about…"

* * *

"It's easy, Lord Sesshomaru. Just look up from beneath those long eyelashes, and say, 'how would you like me?'"

Sesshomaru wasn't sure how much more of this 'tutoring' he could take. The worst part was, there was a teeny tiny something inside him that was taking the lessons to heart. Please, as if he would _ever_ say something so demeaning.

"You must want me to kill you."

Miroku chuckled, shaking his head. The demon lord was starting to look really angry, and the monk was glad that he'd managed to distract him long enough to stop staring at Inuyasha. The hanyou was going to get suspicious, if he kept glaring at him like that. Still, he supposed that if he valued his _own_ life, he'd better stop. It was a miracle he was still alive, as it were. Wow, that must mean that Sesshomaru could really tolerate him— which was quite an honor, considering.

"Just take what I said to heart," He told the daiyoukai, moving out to claim a spot where he could sleep. Kagome had begun carrying around what she called 'sleeping bags' for them all, but he preferred to sleep on top of the fabric— especially if it was warm, as it was now. Regardless of what his brash nature may imply, he did care for the demon lord. He'd proven to be very interesting company over the months they'd been traveling together— and on top of that, he made Inuyasha happy. It was hard for him to see the demon suffer through this, when he couldn't even say something to Inuyasha about making him feel better. He wasn't sure if this whole 'seduction' thing would work or not, but if nothing else, it would make for an entertaining couple of days.

Sesshomaru frowned at the now sleeping monk, bringing a hand to his face as he considered the situation.

Inuyasha had forgotten about him.

Inuyasha had forgotten about him, because of some sort of spell that had been put on him.

Inuyasha had forgotten about him, because of some sort of spell that had been put on him, by hone of Naraku's strangely effeminate incarnations Byakuya.

So.

There was nothing he could do to remedy the situation— save for attempting to jog the hanyou's memory. Spells certainly weren't his strong suit, and he wasn't sure what else to try. Inuyasha had fallen in love with him once before, how hard could it be to get him to do it again? …Somehow, that didn't make the situation seem any better. Sesshomaru sighed, allowing his eyes to close as he thought over what he was going to have to do. Seduction did seem like the best method, at this point… but how did one go about _seducing_ someone? There was no way in _hell_ he was going to listen to that lecherous monk's advice.

'…Now what did he say I should say again…?'

'**Just leave it to me, Fluffy!'**

'How many times do I have to threaten you before you s_top calling me that_.'

'**There's no need to worry. I'll have Inuyasha at his wits end soon enough, begging to fuck us.'**

'…'

Sesshomaru frowned, tilting his head down and forcing himself to focus. This was a very serious situation, and it was definitely _no_ time to be getting all hot and bothered. It was times like this that he _really_ despised his youkai.

'**Just think about it Fluffy, our mate's body over ours, licking and nipping and sucking, thrusting harder and deeper and—'**

'That is quite enough, thank you.'

The daiyoukai shifted slightly uncomfortably, sitting Indian style and placing his palms upon his knees, claws digging into the fabric of his pants. Just thinking about it was making him grow warm. Honestly. He should have more control … What the hell was wrong with that stupid hanyou? Losing his memories at a time like this…

Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru sighed, shaking his head as his ears picked up the faint sounds of Kagome giggling. His brow furrowed slightly and he opened his eyes, pursing his lips the tiniest bit.

Oh, no, this was definitely unacceptable. He was _going _to seduce Inuyasha, and he'd do it so gracefully, so skillfully, that by the time he was done, all the hanyou would be was a quivering mound of goo that would only be able to call his name. He wasn't a fool, he knew what that… that harlot was attempting to do. Of course, he hadn't thought that the miko was idiotic enough to try something so devious… but he was _not _going to allow her to get away with it. Inuyasha _was_ his, and she would just have to learn her place.

* * *

The next day, the small group set out towards Mt. Gakuran once more, everyone having settled into a sort of companionable silence. It was hard to tell, however, whether the quiet was simply for a lack of conversation topics, or because everyone had something on their minds. It was of course, the latter. And for once, The demon lord and the miko were thinking about the exact same thing. The hanyou himself was beginning to get just a bit nervous from the awful look the daiyoukai kept subtly sending his way, wondering what he'd done to deserve such a stare.

"Ah, it's such a lovely day!" Kagome said cheerfully, walking with a bounce in her step. A little bit _too_ much of a bounce, if you asked Sesshomaru. That short skirt of hers was moving around too much for his liking. There were roughly four days left to their journey, and the miko intended to milk those for all she was worth. Inuyasha mumbled a response to the teenager's words, too busy trying to catch Sesshomaru staring to really pay attention. He was absolutely _positive_ that the demon lord was glaring at him, but he just couldn't…

"Ah!"

The three male's turned their heads, noting Kagome's rather impressive tumble to the ground. Inuyasha felt a dulled sense of panic fill his chest and he moved forward easily, catching the young girl before she fell. She wouldn't have hurt herself, most likely, but she certainly would have hurt _him_ if he hadn't done anything.

"Kagome, you okay?" The hanyou asked her, helping her stand properly. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, smiling brightly.

"Oh, yes! Thank you, Inuyasha," She said cheerfully, making no move to detach herself from his arms. Inuyasha sent her an odd look, wondering why everyone seemed to be acting so weird lately.

"Er… yeah."

A slight sigh from behind him caused the hanyou to turn his head, and he furrowed his brow, glancing over his shoulder.

"Your incompetence fails to surprise me, as always," Sesshomaru said, a strange expression on his face. The area between his brows was slightly pinched, though he made no move to stop or even slow his stride as the hanyou helped Kagome get her bearings.

"What d'ya mean by that! Bastard!" Inuyasha shouted, releasing the young shard detector in favor of stomping off after his brother.

Miroku couldn't resist the smile that came over his face as he watched the two, and he glanced over to Kagome, nodding.

"It's nice to see they still get along so nicely, hmm?" He joked, not quite noticing the expression in her eyes before she turned away.

"If you had reacted a second slower, surely your miko would have hit the ground. What if we had been in battle? Do you plan on endangering your friends by your lack of focus?" Sesshomaru continued speaking, though his expression never changed, and Inuyasha's eyes widened at his words. Why the hell was Sesshomaru insulting him, all of a sudden? He thought they had some sort of truce! Though he still had yet to tell him _why_…

"Wha—? Why, you—"

"I suggest you begin training, if you ever hope to defeat Naraku."

The demon lord slowed his walk, turning and pinning Inuyasha with a look that he'd never seen before on his brother's face. The expression looked precisely the same as it always did, and yet… there was something… different, in those cold eyes. Determination? …Whatever it was, Inuyasha wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"You… huh?"

"We shall start later."

And then the daiyoukai was moving forward once more, acting as if he'd never even spoken. Inuyasha stood a bit dumbfounded, Miroku and Kagome catching up to him and sending him a curious glance. Ah-Un didn't appear to be terribly concerned, used to his lord's strange ways. The three were now walking behind Sesshomaru, which suited Kagome just fine. More time to talk to Inuyasha without the infuriating lord interrupting. After all, Inuyasha was no longer _his_. And he didn't even want to be! She was convinced that if the hanyou only knew what he was missing…

"What was that about, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, setting a questioning glance to his friend. Inuyasha turned his head towards him, blinking stupidly.

"…I think… Sesshomaru wants me to… train with him."

All three turned towards the lord in question, appearing to either not hear the conversation about him, or simply ignore it— Inuyasha had a feeling it was the latter. His long silver hair was tousled by the breeze, and Kagome was convinced that there was more of a swing to his hips than normal. Miroku turned his head to hide the amusement on his face, shaking his head slightly. Really, if the other two just took a moment to think about it… Sesshomaru wasn't being half as subtle as he probably believed he was being.

"Ah, I know!" Kagome said suddenly, startling everyone out of their thoughts. Miroku and Inuyasha turned to her, the latter quirking an eyebrow. She frowned slightly at the gesture— he'd never done it before Sesshomaru came— before she remembered herself, smiling. "Let's play a game, to pass the time."

Inuyasha scoffed, but at the dark look from the miko, quickly changed the nose to a cough, clearing his throat.

"Why not," Miroku said bemusedly, deciding that they could all use something to relieve the awkward air that seemed to have fallen.

Kagome clasped her hands together, nodding decisively. "All right, it's called, 'would you rather'. I'll give you guys two different situations, and you'll have to tell me which one you'd rather do, okay?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, glancing at the ground.

"Sounds boring," He mumbled, but luckily Kagome pretended not to hear him.

"We'll start with you Miroku!"

The monk nodded, interested at the prospects of such a game.

"Okay, Miroku. Would you rather… never grope another woman again, or grope Sesshomaru?"

Miroku laughed, but before he could answer, he caught a rather nasty glare from the daiyoukai in question, which clearly stated 'choose your words carefully.' The monk's laughed turned more nervous and he waved a hand in the air, shaking his head. "Why, the first option, of course… heh, heh…" Sesshomaru seemed satisfied with this answer, and Miroku exhaled, bringing a hand to his neck as he remembered the last time he'd angered the youkai too much…

"All right now… Sesshomaru!"

Inuyasha and Miroku both glanced at each other, wondering at Kagome's gall. As if the demon lord would stoop to playing meager human games with them…

"Would you rather… walk across hot coals, or," Kagome gained a slightly odd look to her eyes and she clasped her hands innocently behind her back, staring straight ahead at the demon lords back. "Kiss Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha felt his eyes snap involuntarily to his brother as the daiyoukai glanced over his shoulder, an irritated expression on his face. Normally, Sesshomaru wouldn't even spare a breath on her, so what was it that had irked him so? Surely that one little question couldn't have upset him that much…

"I will not participate in something so childish."

Kagome pouted, only cementing Sesshomaru's words, crossing her arms. "Oh come on Sesshomaru! Don't be such a baby."

The demon lord's eyes flashed and his hands slowly clenched into fists, eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Do not be foolish. I would prefer to kiss—"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at his brother's words, and he felt a strange feeling come over him, one that he didn't quite recognize. And then his eyes met the golden ones of his brother for only a moment, before they darted away.

"No one. None of those options sound even remotely acceptable."

"Well that's the point of the game! You can't just _not_ pick."

"This Sesshomaru will do as he pleases."

"Gah— you're infuriating!"

"I tire of your voice, miko. Stop speaking."

"What! You can't talk to people that way!"

As Kagome and Sesshomaru continued to argue— or rather, the miko continued to shout— Inuyasha felt a sense of relief fill him, as well as an irrational anger. Really, had he seriously thought that the daiyoukai would choose the option that entailed him actually getting _close_ to his younger brother? They hated each other, always had, and always would. Besides, he was pretty sure Sesshomaru was a-sexual. He was almost positive the demon lord had never taken a mate, and he'd never even seen him _look_ at a female in that way before. Not that he'd spent much time around the other, but… surely he would have been able to scent if Sesshomaru was being intimate with someone?

* * *

Kill him.

_Kill him._

Kill_ him. _

"Ah, Shu-kun!"

Amatsu stood as the fox demon entered the garden, walking away from the pond he'd been sitting next to. A gentle smile adorned his lips as he gazed upon his mate, wondering how he'd ever been able to resist the creature in front of him. Shiuchi made his heart feel as if it were going to burst from all the happiness the other was providing, and he found he hadn't thought of the inu demon lord even once since they'd been bonded. The fox daiyoukai bounded over to the other, placing his hands cheerfully on his shoulders.

"What took you so long?" He asked rhetorically, glancing down at the other.

Shiuchi made no motion to acknowledge Amatsu's words, standing curiously still, even as he was touched. The fox frowned, flicking the other lightly on his nose.

"Hey, Shu? You all right there?"

Slow, soft exhales left Shiuchi's lips and he slowly lifted his head, meeting Amatsu's curious gaze with his own. The bright, silver pools normally so full of life were blank, and dull, and the fox demon's frown grew. He gently grasped Shiuchi's chin, leaning a bit closer.

"…Shu?"

It happened too fast for Amatsu to register— Shiuchi twisted his head, freeing himself of his mate's grip and extending both of his palms into the larger demon's chest, forcefully shoving him backwards and into the tree next to the pond. As he hit, all the breath rushed from the indigo-haired demon's lungs, and his eyes widened, watching as Shiuchi began to walk towards him. He wasn't seriously injured, no, but… he didn't quite understand.

"Shiuchi, what's wrong?" He asked, frowning when the other didn't stop his advances. With a speed Amatsu didn't know he possessed, Shiuchi lunged for him, aiming for his neck with a rake of his claws. The fox daiyoukai twisted to the side, eyes widening at the action and the complete lack of expression on his mates face. The other continued to swipe at him, moving with an almost lifeless quality, his body not quite seeming to follow through with his movements. Amatsu avoided him without retaliating, eyes slightly widened with the realization that Shiuchi was being serious. But… then, this wasn't really him. The demon lord frowned, waiting for an opening before grabbing the other's wrists in his hands, surging towards him and forcing them both on the ground. He flipped the other over, sitting heavily on his back and bringing his captured hands behind him.

"Who are you?" He snarled, not in the mood for games. The younger demon growled and quaked terribly, making Amatsu's eyes widen, as he had to use all his force to pin the other down. His greatest fear was that Shiuchi would end up hurting himself— but the flailing stopped abruptly, the fox demon's head falling limply to the ground. The daiyoukai didn't release his hands, feeling a bit wary after all that had happened. There were several long moments where both of them were very still… and then Shiuchi began squirming again, a low keening noise escaping the back of his throat.

"A-Amatsu?" He called, turning his head to the side. "What's going on? You're… you're hurting me…"

Amatsu's lips parted slightly and his brow furrowed, confusion washing over him like a cold wave.

"Shi…uchi?"

* * *

Naraku sank down onto the floor, a slow smile curling onto his lips with every mood he made.

Finally.

_Finally_.

Things were all going according to plan. He had complete and total faith in his latest incarnation… no, Noizuke would not disappoint. He'd made sure that the plan was completely flawless, perfect in every way. No one would suspect anything— and at the end of the day, he'd have both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's head sitting in front of him. It would be well worth the wait, he knew… The only thing he was even slightly worried about, was Kagura. He was giving the simpering wench another chance, and he knew that if she betrayed him again it would result with the end of her life. Her job was simple— all she had to do was keep an eye on the half-demon and his travelers until Noizuke arrived, and surreptitiously steer them away from going too close to the southern lands. _He_ would take it from there…

Hopefully Kagura had enough sense to keep her mouth shut until then.

"Kanna," Naraku snapped, turning his head in the direction the pale child appeared in. "Show me Inuyasha."

* * *

"All I'm saying is that he could be a bit more considerate."

Miroku sighed, shaking his head and slumping his shoulders slightly as he realized that this really was a lost cause. The miko and the Sesshomaru had never seemed to get along— no matter what they did. Sure, the daiyoukai was harsher with her than he was with the others, but she certainly wasn't making any effort to placate him, giving as good as she got. With Sesshomaru the sooner you realized that you couldn't win, the easier it was to get used to the daiyoukai. Of course, not that Sesshomaru was the easiest person to get along with… but Miroku still thought she would put forth a bigger effort to _try_. And he had a sinking suspicion that it had something to do with Inuyasha.

At that thought, the monk looked over to the other side of their camp, where Inuyasha sat with his back against a fairly large tree. His eyes were firmly locked on and glaring at something a ways away, and it didn't take much to figure out that it was Sesshomaru. The daiyoukai was smart, Miroku knew, and had indeed been listening to his advice. He'd figured out a way for Inuyasha to keep an eye on him without even realizing himself that he was doing it. The monk switched his gaze to the demon lord in question, watching as he slowly stood, silver hair spilling over his shoulders in platinum waterfalls as he gracefully began walking away into the woods.

"—understand why he hates me so much! It's just not fair. I really think he's sexist Miroku—"

The little group had stopped perhaps twenty minutes earlier by a small, shallow stream, allowing Ah-Un to get water and Kagome to rest her feet. Inuyasha had—for once—not complained, and they'd resigned themselves to staying there for a small while. They'd made more progress than either of the demon's had expected, finding that things moved faster when Kagome rode on Ah and Un and Miroku and Inuyasha worked on keeping up with Sesshomaru's long strides. However, the mountain was still nowhere near close, and the slight irritation Inuyasha felt at not pressing onwards was obvious in his face.

"—weird. I just don't understand what Inuyasha sees in the guy… but whatever makes him happy, I guess. But don't you think he'd be happier if—"

And where was Sesshomaru just wandering off too? Inuyasha had obviously taken note of that, amber orbs watching carefully as the daiyoukai walked away, following his elegant gait until he disappeared into the trees. Now Sesshomaru wasn't in the habit of telling people when he was going to do things… but generally he was decent enough to leave notice. Perhaps he simply hadn't wanted to interrupt Kagome's little 'rant' to the monk— which, if the miko had stopped to think about— he could hear very clearly.

"—what's best for him! With how long they were fighting, the relationship—"

Kami was she still talking? Miroku sighed slightly, noting Inuyasha's nervous fidgeting. It was clear that he wanted to leap after Sesshomaru, but the hanyou obviously didn't know _why_. Miroku couldn't wait until he got his memory back so that this whole thing would blow over and he could go back to teasing the pair.

Of course, just as Miroku suspected he would, Inuyasha bolted up not too long after, barely turning his head for a glance at Kagome before he was darting through the trees after his brother. Of course, it was just so that he could make sure the daiyoukai wasn't doing anything suspicious… He was definitely a shady character, couldn't be trusted.

"—a chance! Don't you think so, Miroku?"

The monk snapped back to attention, turning his head and noting his friends expectant stare.

Well, damn.

"…Um— yeah! Of course, Kagome." Miroku punctuated these words with a brilliant smile, hoping that that was the right response. Kagome grinned back, clasping her hands together.

"Ah, I knew you'd see it my way! Now if I could just—"

She turned, presumably looking for Inuyasha, and appeared rather startled when her eyes ascertained that he clearly wasn't there.

"Argh— where'd he go?"

* * *

Sesshomaru continued through the woods, falling into his usual regal stride that he knew his brother found appealing. He would have had to have been a fool to not notice Inuyasha's eyes on him the entire time he was sitting there, though he'd been careful not to let on that he knew he was being watched. As soon as they'd stopped in the clearing Sesshomaru was able to pick up the scent of a hot springs not too far off. He was going to mention it to the miko, but after she'd clung to Inuyasha's arm just a bit too long, it had conveniently slipped his mind. It wasn't his fault, really.

And the demon lord _knew_ that Inuyasha would be following him… even if his younger brother appeared to be taking the proper precaution and staying downwind of him. He could just _sense_ the hanyou's presence…

But even if his mind was playing tricks on him and his brother wasn't there, a bath would do wonders for his levels of stress. Generally he was able to keep a tight lid on all that was Sesshomaru, but that miko was continuously trying his patience. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't even touch his mate without fear of being pushed away… damn it, it wasn't fair! He _needed_ Inuyasha— quite literally, because of their bond. Of course, his youkai was relatively satisfied with just being near the hanyou, but that wasn't enough! He wanted the careless touches back, the late nights sneaking off from the humans, or even the fleeting kisses stolen whenever Inuyasha felt wasn't watching. Of course, a majority of the time, Sesshomaru made sure Kagome was.

When the daiyoukai reached the waters edge he paused for just a moment, allowing Inuyasha ample time to catch up. And once he was certain the half-demon was watching, he steeled himself with determination, gazing fiercely down at the water.

It was time to put his plan into motion.

* * *

'…Great. I followed him all this way, and all he's doing is taking a bath.'

'_**I**_** don't see the problem here.'**

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his youkai's usual behavior, shaking his head from the top of the branch he was perching on.

'I'm not about to sit here and watch him bathe.'

'**But— but we need to keep an eye on him… er, make sure he's not doing anything suspicious.'**

At this thought Inuyasha turned his gaze back down to the demon lord, noticing that he'd removed all of his armor and the large fur wrapped around his arm, and was using nimble fingers to untie obi. The silk kimono slid off his shoulders easily, revealing miles of brilliantly pale skin, and a lithe body carefully lined with hard muscles. Inuyasha swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. Of course, he was going to look away, but… he— uh, needed to make sure Sesshomaru wasn't doing anything—erm—suspicious.

Yeah. That was it entirely.

When Sesshomaru was completely nude he took in a deep breath, inhaling a nose full of Inuyasha's scent. Satisfied that his audience was accounted for the daiyoukai waded into the water slowly, running his fingers through his hair and bringing the platinum strands to rest over one of his shoulders, making sure to give the half-demon a perfect view of everything he had to offer. He was painfully aware that he was exaggerating every move of his body— not that he needed to _try_ to look absolutely irresistible.

Deciding it was time to initiate step two he turned slightly, a frown gracing his face.

"Are you going to continue watching me, or did you plan to bathe?"

Inuyasha nearly fell out of the tree upon hearing Sesshomaru's voice addressing him, but quickly gathered his wits, stepping off of the branch with practiced ease. Deciding it was easier to trade the feeling of embarrassment with anger he growled, crossing his arms and looking away.

"I'm not watching, I'm keeping an eye on you. You're being suspicious."

Sesshomaru raised one eyebrow, bringing water up to lazily scrub at his chest and torso.

Inuyasha frowned, taking a seated position below a tree not too far from the spring, attempting not to stare. Or at least, attempting not to get caught. Sesshomaru of course, knew this, and did everything in a way that would encourage him to continue looking.

After a few moments of absolute silence Sesshomaru looked over to his brother, amused to see his amber eyes snap away.

"…You seem upset, Inuyasha," He said, going back to the task of washing himself slowly, beginning with his left arm. "Is the loss of your memory ailing you? Or is it… something else?" As he spoke he tipped his neck back just enough to make Inuyasha's eyes snap to the pale column of flesh, stroking a hand down it and continuing over his shoulders, dipping into the hollow of his collarbone. Inuyasha flushed when he realized he was staring, turning away as he tried to remember what the question was.

'What the hell is _wrong_ with me?'

'**Beauty deserves to be admired,' **His youkai commented helpfully, attempting to get their eyes to look back at Sesshomaru's oh so delightfully naked brother. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something about the long planes of Sesshomaru's skin looked infinitely familiar, and he thought if he only continued to stare eventually he'd remember…

'You do realize that is our _brother_, don't you?'

'…**Just sayin'.'**

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest with a troubled expression.

It was probably just an after effect of the memory loss.

"I'm fine," He mumbled after too long of a pause, refusing to look back over to the daiyoukai. Deciding that making conversation was the only thing he could count on to distract him Inuyasha furrowed his brow, and he buried his hands in his sleeves. "So… what happened, anyway? I don't remember you being so talkative."

Sesshomaru gingerly began washing his hair, finding the task infinitely easier with two arms. He didn't look over at the statement, appearing unaffected by the hanyou's proximity to his unclothed form.

"I have… changed a great deal in the last few months."

Inuyasha glanced over— but his gaze landed on his older brother's face.

"But— _why_? What could have been so drastic that would make you want to… get along with me?"

Sesshomaru didn't answer the question immediately, wading deeper into the spring and allowing the steam to ease his tension as he finished washing his hair. At first Inuyasha thought the daiyoukai was ignoring him, and he scowled, about to growl out a threat of some sort, but he found it unnecessary.

"Perhaps I simply found myself growing tired of blaming you for father's mistakes."

At this remark Inuyasha grew defensive, glaring at Sesshomaru and growling lightly.

"What, taking a _human_ as a mate?"

"No, allowing himself to die so easily."

Their eyes met and Sesshomaru made no move to change his expression, his still long upheld anger for their father managing to glimmer through his gaze. It was a foolish move— true, he did save his mate, but in turn, his own life was taken. Surely there had to have been a better course of action… but of course, his father always did have a way of just barging into things.

Kind of like his brother.

Inuyasha continued to stare, searching the daiyoukai's eyes for something— Sesshomaru wasn't quite sure. After a moment he seemed to find what he was looking for, and tore his gaze away, choosing instead to stare at the ground. The demon lord took that as his cue, allowing a light sigh to slip from his mouth as he began heading out of the water. Honestly, so much for his 'relaxing' bath. Inuyasha was determinedly not watching as his older brother exited the spring, and this suited Sesshomaru just fine. He'd accomplished his goal, in any case. Water streamed off his body in miniscule rivers, plastering his hair to his back, which irked the demon lord. He grabbed the silver mass and began attempting to squeeze most of the water out, stopping only when the dripping did. Once that was done he quickly and effectively shook off, leaving himself with only slightly damp skin. His hair was a lost cause, and he allowed it to dry as it would, knowing it would soon go back to its normal state.

He moved closer to his clothing and began to dress, pulling on the silken fabric with a grace he'd perfected quite a long time ago. The armor and fur were applied with a practiced ease, and once he was finally fully dressed he turned to his younger brother with the normal neutral expression.

Inuyasha was still looking furiously at the ground, though a bright blush was crawling up his neck, staining his cheeks as well.

Sesshomaru merely quirked an eyebrow, beginning to walk back towards the camp.

"Come, Inuyasha. Your miko is probably wondering where you are."

* * *

Foxgirl: Wow, that had more linebreaks than originally intended. ._. ...Ah, well.

Vixen: Review please. But don't give her any false hopes- this story is just awful.

Foxgirl: ...Vixen... Who let you back on the computer?

**Important!** Ah, I seem to be in need of a new beta. o_o Sugamama if you're still there just message me, but... yeah. If you're interested, just tell me in a review or PM. ^ ^


	6. Of Training Sessions and Awkward Silence

**Foxgirl**: Hey guys! Sorry for the long absence, but school started, and with AP lit, there was no time for fanfciton. D: I apologize for the crappiness of this chapter, I wanted to get it up as soon as possible! And **I'm still looking for a beta, by the way.** If you sent me a message, then kindly re-send it, as I really haven't even been on for months now. TT^TT Anyway, I kind of like this chapter... but I think I could have written it better. I might rewrite a few parts later, when I have more time.

**Vixen**: Wow, I didn't think you'd ever continue this piece of-

**Foxgirl**: Vixen, can't you go ONE CHAPTER without insulting me?

**Vixen**: ...No?

**Foxgirl**: /sigh/...

* * *

**REVIEW REPLIES**

* * *

I'm going to make an attempt to do these more regularly~ Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They really do encourage me to write more. I came back to this and was like, five chapters, and... ninety-two reviews? I almost passed out. Q-Q

**higga7**: Sorry it took so long! Please don't put a spell on me!

**milkchocolatehot64: **Aha, I'm glad you like it so much. x) Yes, Kagome really IS a bitch, isn't she? At least, in this fanfiction.

**dashlee:** xD Yes! The real Inuyasha shall come back soon... or will he? o.0 Mwahahah!

**KatzeIason69:** I'm glad you like it. ^ ^

**Poseida Lunar: **Fluffy thanks you! And really, he's going to need it.

**Henpuku-Hime: **Haha, I do love Miroku in this fic. x) He makes me smile~ I'm so happy you like it!

**: **Ah, your review made me so happy! Thank you so much, I'm glad you think so highly of it. Though I honestly don't feel it deserves such an awesome title!

**dragondeedee3: **Yes, yes she is. /sigh/ I'm going to have to do something about her...

**pumkpinkpi:** Haha, yup! You just gotta love Miroku. x) I'm glad he and Sesshomaru seem to be getting along so well... if you can call him bugging the demon lord 'getting along' x)

**XxScarletPhantomxX:** Here's your update!

**bunyipbabe: **I'm glad you think so! No worries, I may take forever, but I never abandon a fic!

**mochiusagi:** Yes, I do so love torturing Inuyasha. x)

**My God:** You have no idea how long I laughed after seeing your review. xD

**Nameless Little Girl: **I'm glad. (:

**KagomeYasha**: Haha, I'm sure Sesshomaru would love that. x) But he must suffer more! I do so love torturing these too. xD

**A girl I don't know**: Aha, yes, he is very determined! And soon (maybe) that determination will pay off!

**Atum: **Aw, you're making me blush. x3 Thank you so much!

**Chibi Tsuki Hikari: **Oh don't worry. I plan on putting Sesshomaru through a lot before this is over... x) And I'm not an mpreg fan, sorry. D: But I do love uke Sessh! Just not enough of fics like that around. I'm really glad you're enjoying it!

**Yuuki-Minami-Chan:** I'm glad you like it so much! I'll try to update sooner, next time~

* * *

Chapter Six: Of Training Sessions and Awkward Silences

* * *

* * *

Sesshomaru was right, of course.

"Inuyasha, you can't just run off like that!"

Then again, when was he not? He listened with a sort of curious disinterest as the miko began to ramble about how she had been worried, and how next time he needed to blah blah blah blah. It ended with Inuyasha yelling and consequently being sat, and Kagome storming off in an obviously annoyed huff. Sesshomaru took this chance to roll his eyes, wondering if they would _ever_ reach their destination. Inuyasha needed to get his memories back, soon. He always considered himself a patient demon, but he needed _some_ sort of contact with the hanyou. He wasn't quite that desperate, but Inuyasha was his _mate_. There were rules and proper ways to do things, and something that definitely broke the unwritten code was _forgetting about your mate entirely_. Obviously that was just bad form.

The daiyoukai frowned as Inuyasha crawled out of the crater his body had made when he was sat, watching as his first reaction was to immediately dart after the child. He hadn't traveled with the hanyou long enough before to truly observe everyone's behavior, but it appeared that the miko had the hanyou wrapped around her little finger.

And he did not enjoy this fact.

"What did you two do?"

Sesshomaru glanced over to the monk, who was seated comfortably with his staff in his hands, watching the demon with calm eyes. Obviously, he had already formed a guess at what they had _done_, and Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at the hidden question in his gaze.

"I went to bathe. Inuyasha formed his own assumptions and followed."

A slow, suggestive smirk pulled at Miroku's lips, and he tilted his head slightly, watching Sesshomaru's face.

"Oh _really_."

"Honestly monk," The demon lord scoffed, taking his own seat on the opposite side of their little camp. Miroku merely shrugged, waggling his eyebrows and ignoring the resulting expression of mild irritation from his companion.

"So, following my advice then?"

"…"

"I _told _you it would work."

"…"

"Really, I can't believe that you doubted—"

"Be silent, or I will take your staff and behead you with it."

"…Right then."

* * *

"Kagome, what is your _problem_?"

"My problem! I'm not the one running after Sesshomaru like some sort of infatuated puppy!"

"…Are you even _listening_ to yourself?"

Kagome took in a breath, reminding herself that no, Inuyasha remembered nothing of his and Sesshomaru's relationship, and therefore didn't trust him. He was bound to do something stupid, like run after him for no reason… it was instinctive. But nothing was going to happen, because Inuyasha didn't know anything and he was fair game again. She looked over to the hanyou that had followed her into the trees, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Okay, so perhaps, somewhere along the way her good intentions had turned just a _tiny_ bit selfish. So she was taking advantage of the hanyou in his time of need, that didn't make her a bad person, right? She deserved this, after all. She'd waited so long, throughout the whole Kikyo debacle and then through the mess with Sesshomaru… but this was a _sign_. It was finally her turn to be with her love, finally her turn to show him how much she cared.

"Inuyasha… I just… I just feel like you're drifting away from me." The miko took a step towards the hanyou, holding out her arms. "I mean, I guess I always just thought that someday we'd… we'd be together…"

Inuyasha, always weak to a woman in tears walked over to the teenager, sighing lightly as he took her into his arms. The hug calmed him slightly, and he allowed himself to relax into the girl, feeling her arms come up tentatively around his back.

"Kagome…" He began, but trailed off, uncertain where to go from there. His youkai wisely stayed silent, and Kagome squeezed him a bit tighter, pulling away to gaze into his eyes.

"Inuyasha… I love you," She confessed for the second time, beginning to lean forwards slightly. He was taller than her so she had to stand on her tiptoes, but she was quite certain that this was it. This was her big moment to show him, to prove her feelings.

Inuyasha just felt slightly awkward.

He knew her intentions, but couldn't bring himself to pull away— or move forward. So he simply stood there and stared down at her, blinking twice when their lips connected.

This was what he had wanted, right? All he had ever wanted was Kagome to love him…

She moved her lips against his, inexperienced but determined, and he kissed back out of what felt suspiciously like obligation. Her mouth was warm and soft and should have been everything he wanted— but for some reason his body felt intensely… cold. He pulled away first, the sense of 'WRONG' settling deep into his stomach as he stared into her smitten eyes.

"Kagome… we should probably go back to the others."

It wasn't the honey-sweetened love confession she'd wanted, but for the moment Kagome was satisfied. She'd gotten her kiss, after all, and if the way he'd responded was any indication, Inuyasha definitely returned her feelings.

It was only a matter of time, now.

Soon, Inuyasha would be completely hers.

* * *

"But seriously, am I a genius, or am I a genius?"

"…That doesn't even make any sense…"

"Oh it's quite simple really. See, I said the same thing twice, because I knew you would disagree with me, therefore—"

"Monk, I am done conversing with you."

"Aw come on Fluffy—"

"Call me that again, and you will find yourself without the ability to produce children."

Sesshomaru paused after he had spoke, taking in the scent of Kagome and Inuyasha growing closer to their makeshift camp. He would have followed to make sure the miko behaved herself, but he knew he would never hear the end of it from the monk once he returned. The first thing he noticed when they returned was that something was definitely wrong. The look in Kagome's eyes was just too… gooey, and Inuyasha looked so distinctly uncomfortable that he could almost guess what had happened. And he really, really didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

"Come on guys, we're going to continue moving," Inuyasha said, shifting slightly as the miko grabbed a hold of his arm. She turned her head just enough to meet Sesshomaru's gaze, before quickly turning forwards, resting her head on her loves shoulder. The daiyoukai didn't look too happy… but soon, he'd realize that this was all for the best. But damn, if looks could kill…

The miko would be disintegrated, sweeped up, dumped into a river, and eaten by some sort of amphibian.

Miroku frowned slightly at Inuyasha and Kagome's formation, glancing over at Sesshomaru to discern that yes, his eyes were narrowed, and no, he did not look like he was in a particularly joking mood. As the half-demon had to walk slower with the human attached to him, Sesshomaru quickly passed them up, followed swiftly by the monk, who felt obligated to talk to the other. Inuyasha watched them both with a detached interest, ears twitching as Kagome began babbling about her skool homework and some sort of test she had to take.

"Shall we mimic our darling friends?"

Sesshomaru turned to the monk that had spoken, his left eye twitching slightly as Miroku grabbed his arm much like Kagome had Inuyasha's. He was tempted to pull away and just kill the human already, but he'd already proved his worth in a plethora of areas. Of course, he'd also shown that he was just as useless at other things. However, Miroku's face was so serious, Sesshomaru almost felt curious about what he could want. But the curiosity was doing nothing to abate his anger, the sheer _fury_ at what the miko had done. She would pay, he would make sure of that. She obviously had no respect what so ever for him, or for demon culture in general, or she would realize that seeing his mate with another…

It was physically painful.

Sesshomaru could feel the place where Inuyasha had first bitten him throbbing, though the actual mark had disappeared long ago. He was sure that the half-demon had to feel _something_. He was certain of it. Though he may have forgetting their bond, he wouldn't be able to overlook his feelings… right? Then again… what if Inuyasha's feelings were no longer the same? He had completely forgotten all that they'd gone through, what if before, he'd actually felt affection for the miko— strange as it sounded. That was going to be a… problem.

"Do not worry, my Lord," Miroku spoke, his voice lower than usual to ensure Inuyasha wouldn't here. "Once Inuyasha regains his memories, everything will go back to normal. I don't know why Kagome is acting as she is… but all we can do is sit and bear it."

The demon lord turned to look at the monk, ears twitching slightly. He still found it strange that the other considered him a… friend. He was not used to people trying to comfort him when they assumed he felt sorrow. It was… nice.

But not enough to allow the monk to continue clinging to him.

Sesshomaru gave the other a short nod, which was as good as a thank you, by his standards, before detangling his arm more gently than he would have with someone else— say, Kagome, for example— and continuing forward.

Inuyasha found himself growing slightly… suspicious. His brother and Miroku were acting awfully chummy all of a sudden… he couldn't ever remember anyone being allowed to touch the demon lord before, and yet, here was Miroku, going at it like they were old pals! Were he and Sesshomaru… together

This thought forced a low growl from Inuyasha's throat, and it only increased in tone and deepened in pitch as he considered the possibilities. That would explain why the demon lord was suddenly acting as if they were friends, and also why Miroku had seemed so worried tha the didn't remember anything. The half-demon's hands clenched into fists as he eyed the monk lightly holding onto the demon lords arm, ears laying flat against his head as his eyes narrowed. The growling only stopped once Sesshomaru detached himself, and even then, Inuyasha still felt unreasonably angry. Why did he care if Miroku and Sesshomaru were together? …And since when was that perverted monk gay?

"I-Inuyasha?"

He turned his head with an angry glare etched onto his face, which softened when he noticed the frightened look in Kagome's eyes.

"What'w wrong?" He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly when she tensed.

"You were… growling. I thought I had done something wrong…"

He blinked, before realizing that the miko had assumed he was angry with her… which was awfully presumptuous of her. Ignoring this previous thought he shook his head, attempting to put on a slightly nicer face.

"No, I was just… thinking about Naraku."

Kagome paused for a minute, as if trying to determine whether she believed him or not, before merely patting his arm and going back to her babbling.

Well.

That was easy.

* * *

But he still couldn't believe it!

Inuyasha glanced up from his place around the fire, watching Sesshomaru carefully, who seemed to be staring off into a random point in space with a slightly irritated expression, hands folded into his lap. Miroku kept sneaking worried glances at the demon lord, which Inuyasha was _not_ happy about. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything— it was just… wrong! Who in their right mind would ever consider becoming Sesshomaru's mate? He was just too… Sesshomaru!

The group had finally stopped for the day, covering more ground than they had really needed to keep on schedule. Inuyasha was certain that if they continued at this pace, they would be able to reach the mountain in three days time.

The sun had set over the horizon a while ago, leaving the entire group doused in darkness. They had settled in the middle of a large, grassy field, which didn't provide much cover, but, as Kagome had pointed out, was perfect for star-gazing. Of course, the girl had barely left his side since their kiss in the forest, and he was almost beginning to regret it. He wasn't even sure if he felt that way about her anymore, and she was getting a bit annoying with all of her talking. What had he seen in her, again?

The general hush that had descended over everyone— besides Kagome of course— was broken when Sesshomaru suddenly stood, turning and walking away from the group. Everyone's eyes followed him for a moment before the demon lord turned his head, a glare fixed on his face.

"Come, Inuyasha," He spoke, meeting the half-demon's eyes with his narrowed ones.

Sesshomaru didn't elaborate any further than that, but Inuyasha wasn't about to back down from such an obvious challenge. He stood up with only slightly difficulty, almost needing to pry Kagome's arms off of him, before darting ahead to catch up with the demon lord, who had already begun walking again.

"Hey Sesshomaru, what—"

"_Silence_ half-breed. Did I not tell you earlier that we were to be training?"

The demon lords tone of voice made Inuyasha pause for a moment, fearing that he had actually angered his brother. Then, remembering that he didn't care whether Sesshomaru was angry or not, the half-demon simply let out a 'feh', following the older male until he stopped at a spot deemed far enough away from the camp. The two stood facing each other, both of their long, silver manes being tousled in the wind that seemed to have picked up. Sesshomaru had the most curious expression on his face, and Inuyasha wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It was strange— he'd never been very good at reading his older brother, but all of a sudden, it seemed that he could almost always tell when something was wrong… just what had happened between the last thing he remembered and now?

"The rules are simple," Sesshomaru began, his silken voice speaking out clearly into the night air. "The first person to pin the other and successfully bite their neck, wins."

Inuyasha nodded, understanding what Sesshomaru was drawing from. It was a definite sign of submission, allowing another demon to bite the throat. In a simple sparring battle such as this, whoever did it would be the 'dominator', or 'winner', so to speak.

Sesshomaru moved first. He drew his sword with one sweeping gesture, dashing towards the hanyou at speeds Inuyasha himself could probably never hope to achieve, fury in his eyes. The hanyou barely had time to draw Tetsaisga to defend himself before jumping back, tossing a 'wind scar' at the other to distract Sesshomaru long enough so he could come up with a strategy. However the demon lord didn't seem to be in the mood for foolishness, simply surging through the attack and swinging Tokijin again and again, advancing forward almost quicker than Inuyasha could move back, clashing swords with his brother in a real attempt to injure him.

Inuyasha, in turn, growled, not ready to allow his brother to beat him like he normally did. He swung the Tetsaisga in a heavy arc, cursing when Sesshomaru dashed away— almost gliding. He barely turned around quick enough to block the other's next attack, cursing when Sesshomaru swiped claws dripping with poison across his stomach. It wasn't as heavy a concentration as normal— the half demon noticed. But it still hurt like hell.

Sesshomaru moved forward then, swinging his sword down on top of Tetsaisga as Inuyasha raised it, the former bearing down as hard as he could in an attempt to break the half-demon's defenses. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, pushing the demon lord back with a burst of strength, and digging his claws into the wound his brother had made, 'Blades of Blood!' tumbling from his lips as he swiped the hand in an arcing motion.

The demon lord seemed to be caught off guard and Inuyasha used this as an advantage, moving forward and all but tossing the Tetsaisga aside, _tackling _Sesshomaru to the ground in a motion so unexpected, the demon lord didn't do anything to stop it. Sesshomaru's eyes widened as they both fell to the ground, Tokijin falling from his hands as they both hit the ground. Inuyasha was panting heavily by now, but he wasted no time, quickly straddling the demon lord and lowering his head, preparing to bite the other before he realized what had happened.

But… something stopped him. He paused, taking a tentative sniff of his brother, his eyes flickering down to the others open mouth as he took in quickened breaths. That was… strange. Why did Sesshomaru smell so much like… him?

The two paused, Inuyasha simply staring at the demon lord with a slightly furrowed brow as the other looked off to the side, with half-lidded eyes.

"How… would you like me?" Sesshomaru spoke after a moment, glancing up to meet Inuyasha's gaze. The half-demon's eyes widened, and he took in the demon lord, sprawled out on the ground, his silver hair pooled about him like an aluminum halo. His voice was slightly breathy from all the exertion, and was that Inuyasha's imagination, or was there a slight flush on the others cheeks? But… had _Sesshomaru_ really just asked him…!

"W-what?" He yelled, reeling back slightly, attempting to hide how aroused the simple question had made him. Sesshomaru appeared annoyed and narrowed his eyes, beginning to sit up.

"I asked, 'aren't you going to bite me?'"

…Oh.

Inuyasha let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, running a hand through his hair as a dark flush came over his face. Really, had he honestly thought that Sesshomaru would say something like…?

He looked at the other, noting the irritated stare he was receiving for taking so long. After a moment Inuyasha moved forward, slowly, as the shock still hadn't quite left his system— he was slightly surprised that Sesshomaru hadn't just bit him himself. He raised a hand, brushing a few strands of hair from the demon lords neck, and pausing as Sesshomaru seemed to shiver, tilting his head slightly to the side to allow Inuyasha more room to complete his task. The hanyou briefly licked his lips, suddenly feeling himself grow warm from Sesshomaru's proximity, lowering his head until his mouth was hovering over the pale flesh of his brothers throat.

After a moments more of hesitation he bared his fangs, nipping lightly at the skin beneath his teeth, tongue accidentally brushing against Sesshomaru's neck with the action. The demon lord seemed to stiffen, lips parting slightly.

"Ah—"

Inuyasha pulled away quickly, meeting Sesshomaru's face with a slightly dumbfounded expression.

An awkward silence fell over the pair, that caused Inuyasha to grow uncomfortable.

"…Sesshomaru?" He spoke after a minute, his voice coming out softer than expected. The demon lord exhaled slightly, slowly raising his gaze until it met the hanyou's, and Inuyasha blinked, unconsciously moving closer. Something had shifted, he was sure, because under normal circumstances he would never be getting this close to the demon lord voluntarily but.. he… knew those eyes. They were familiar… so familiar, but why couldn't he…

The half demon opened lids he hadn't realized he'd closed, finding his face was much closer to Sesshomaru's than it had been a moment ago. Their lips were just a breath away, and he could feel his brothers shaky exhales, the warm air caressing his face in the sweetest way. Something came over him, then— his youkai telling him something that he was certain he'd forgotten— and he shifted, pulling the surprisingly unresisting demon lord into his lap. The weight felt comfortable instead of cumbersome, and he buried his head into the others neck, pressing his nose against the soft skin he found there.. He inhaled deeply, taking in Sesshomaru's scent before pulling away, meeting the others eyes.

"Inu…yasha," The demon lord breathed, his eyes uncertain.

Inuyasha was positive he was forgetting something very important and he couldn't quite put his finger on it, it was bothering him immensely. He wasn't sure when he had shifted, but somewhere between the biting and the smelling, his eyes had begun to tinge red, markings appearing on his cheeks. But he couldn't help himself- It seemed the closer he got to Sesshomaru the more his youkai wanted…

What? What did he want?

He moved his head closer, pleased to find that Sesshomaru didn't pull away as he leaned in. Closer, and closer… until their mouths were so close to touching that Inuyasha almost couldn't bear it. But he forced himself to pause, a small voice in the back of his head trying to tell him that something wasn't right. He wasn't sure what to listen to, and stayed quite still, unmoving. Then, the demon lord flicked out his tongue, licking a stripe up Inuyasha's chin in a clear sign of submission. And Inuyasha couldn't stay still anymore.

Yes, he knew what he wanted.

He clenched tightly at Sesshomaru's hips and ground up against him, pleased to hear the others breath hitch in a way that was pure music to his ears. How long had it been since he'd touched what was rightfully… his?

Yes.

Yes, this demon was his.

**"Mine,"** Inuyasha growled, moving to claim the demon lords lips, a whimper escaping from Sesshomaru's throat, and—

"Inuyasha!"

And it was over.

The half-demon blinked rapidly at the sound of Kagome's voice, his eyes returning to their normal color, and he paused for only a moment, noticing his very… compromising condition. What... had happened? A slight gust of wind cleared his thoughts and his eyes widened as he noticed the demon lord so close to him, the oddness of the situation registering in his mind. He hissed at the feel of Sesshomaru sitting in his lap, directly on top of what seemed to be a very irritated hard on.

Now, how the _hell_ had this happened?

Inuyasha pushed the demon lord off of him, standing up in a panic and almost crashing into Kagome as she came walking up. Her sudden appearance startled him and he thanked kami for baggy clothing, jumping back and staring guiltily at her wide smile. At least she hadn't seem what had happened...

But... what had happened?

He risked a glance over his shoulder, noticing Sesshomaru standing and appearing no worse for the wear, as if nothing strange had happened. Leave it to the bastard to act all composed after something like that! Why was he— why had his youkai taken over? Nothing was making any sense…

"I just came to tell you that dinner was ready," The miko said, watching the half-demon shyly from underneath her eyelashes. Inuyasha attempted to regulate his breathing, nodding a bit shakily and stuffing his hands into his sleeves.

"O-okay, thanks. I was getting hungry, anyway." He allowed himself to be taken back to the camp, not looking back at his brother for fear of remembering the feel of the others form draped other his, the look of pure arousal on his face…

Seriously, what the _fuck_ was going on?

The hanyou could barely hear Kagome's excited murmurs as they walked, all his attention focused back on that spot in the grass.

Sesshomaru raised a hand to his head, brushing down his face until it was covering his nose— and the slight flush he was sure was resting on his cheeks. How could he have allowed himself to be so… carried away? Obviously Inuyasha still didn't remember their bond… but he hadn't been able to help himself. His mate was _finally_ showing him some affection, and all he could do was sit there and take it…

"Such weakness," He murmured to himself, brushing a hand down his stomach and shivering at the sensations it brought. How... humiliating. To be brought down to this by no more than the promise of a kiss, and the insistent press of hips. It was almost unbearable. But at least the ache that had started to build up had gone away. That had been his first goal with the sparring, hoping that the brief contact would be enough, but... the monks advice had surfaced in his mind, and he hadn't been able to help himself. Sesshomaru frowned, turning in the opposite direction and beginning to walk, anywhere far away from their camp would be fine. He never ate what the wench cooked anyway, and he was sure no one would miss him.

He had some... business to take care of.

* * *

**Foxgirl**: So, how was it? Good, bad, awful beyond belief?

**Vixen**: I'd say the last option.

**Foxgirl**: I'm ignoring you. Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait!

**Vixen**: It's been almost three months.

**Foxgirl**: ...I'm sorry!

**Vixen**: Review please.


	7. Of Bite Marks and unwelcome Presences

**Foxgirl**: Hello, all. Yes, I'm back. I am so sorry for the very long absence, but I have no excuses this time. But I WILL finish this story no matter how long it takes, so don't worry. High School is officially over for me, so woo! I will do my very best to update more frequently. Thank you to all who have been so very patient.

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**REVIEW REPLIES**

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**higga7**: Thank you for your support! And Vixen would like a treat, very much so. (:

**Atheist1**: Haha, I know right? xD I felt so bad for making her such a... well, a bitch.

**Henpuku-Hime**: Aw thank you so much! That means a lot to me. (=^ ^=)

**katzeoasn69**: I can't wait until I can write some more inu x sesshy action. x) They're so perfect together~

**Demonic-Otaku**: I thoroughly agree with you.

**Dear Sister:** Well thanks! I'm glad you like it. (:

**pumpkinpi**: It seems like someone ALWAYS interrupts them. We're gonna have to fix that.

**Tangled in the Supernatural**: It was yummy wasn't it? x)

**vertically-lacking:** I'm so sorry I made you wait so long. Hope you still wanna know how it ends!

**guren and kallen:** I shall! For reals this time!

**mochiusagi:** xD Haha, bimbo. Wow, nobody likes Kagome in this story. Then again I don't either, but still...

**shiro-kun wiifey16**: I would totally do that if it wouldn't be completely random to the plot. xD

**Poseida Lunar**: You and me both. x)

**bear lover:** Sorry sorry! Hope you still want to continue reading.

**LordSesshy-kun**: I have updated almighty Lord Sesshomaru! So sorry it took so long.

**Nitinha56:** Thank you!

**A Girl I Don't Know**: Haha, trust me, there will be no Miroku yaoi in this. xD

**Yuuki-Minami-Chan**: I'd love for you to be my beta! I'll shoot you a PM. ;)

**NewYorker:** Miroku does give awesome advice. xD I can't believe how many people have told Kagome to go die...

**cord:** Sorry sorry! Here it is~

**NeoSeymour**: Yes I shall! Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it. (:

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Chapter Seven: Of Bite Marks and Unwelcome Presences

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Okay, so the plan was, apparently, to act as if nothing had happened.

Inuyasha had stuffed himself with ramen to the point of bursting, intent on completely forgetting the flushed expression on Sesshomaru's face, attempting to focus solely on eating. Miroku seemed to sense something was wrong, but he kept his mouth close, seeming content to stare at the hanyou with a mildly suspicious expression. For that, Inuyasha was grateful. Kagome didn't appear to notice anything, babbling happily away about things that the hanyou couldn't even _begin_ to be bothered with. His amber eyes flickered up to the worryingly thin moon, and he swallowed another mouthful of ramen, cursing his bad luck. Of course, his only vulnerable time of the month would come just as they'd begun to pick up the pace. It would only have taken them two more days he thought, to reach the mountain. But seeing as it looked like the new moon was likely going to be tomorrow night…

"Kagome," Inuyasha said abruptly, cutting the young girl off from saying something about dog breeding (which Inuyasha was actually rather glad he hadn't been paying attention to, as that could have gotten awkward). The raven-haired teen blinked twice in shock, as if she just couldn't believe that he'd done such a thing, before pouting slightly as she turned. "Oh look at me like that," He snapped, surprised at his brusqueness. He just didn't seem to have any patience for Kagome, anymore… "This is important. We're going to have to find shelter for tomorrow, it's the new moon. Monk, you better be listening too!"

Miroku carefully scraped up the rest of his noodles nodding too slowly for the hanyou's liking.

"Of course, Inuyasha," He replied in a tone that made the half-demon think he hadn't heard anything at all. "But… er— where is Sesshomaru?"

A pause.

'_Dammit _Miroku! And I was doing so well too… I probably could have gone the whole rest of the night without thinking about—'

"How the hell should I know! I'm not his keeper. He does what he wants." Inuyasha finished this reply with a swift turn of his head as he thrust his nose up into the air, and Kagome giggled as if he was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

Miroku merely rolled his eyes— he could take a fairly good guess at what had happened— and set his ramen cup aside. Though he couldn't resist mumbling, "Of _course_ you're not" under his breath when he thought Inuyasha wasn't quite paying attention. Unfortunately for the monk, he was.

"Hey! What do you—"

Inuyasha cut off suddenly, and his two human companions exchanged glances. Whenever the theatrics came, that meant something was terribly wrong. Or Inuyasha had just been thinking too hard again.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, taking this moment to scoot closer to him, until their knees were pressed together. The intimacy of the contact made her blush, though the hanyou hardly noticed. His nostrils were twitching as he inhaled in that way that only dogs could, ears twitching as though he was listening to something far away. "…Inu…yasha?"

Then the hanyou jumped up, bounding away faster than the humans could ever comprehend going shouting over his shoulder, "Sesshomaru's in trouble!"

Inuyasha could smell his blood.

At first, he hadn't quite recognized it, not used to his brother's presence yet. But it was clear as day, the scent of a powerful daiyoukai mixed with Sesshomaru's own unique smell— decidedly cold. And for some reason, Inuyasha had all but panicked. He could feel adrenaline rushing through his system and it somehow managed to propel his legs to move, even though he had not given them any commands. As he darted across the field with speed he hadn't even known he possessed, he wondered why on earth he was so concerned about the bastard.

But as he grew closer to the scent, he noticed another one, one that had been overpowered by Sesshomaru's before.

It was Kikyo. This made Inuyasha run even faster, until he reached a forest with tall trees and hard dirt that broke under his feet, hair streaming away from his face until he could almost see their figures in the distance. It made him uneasy— what business did she have with Sesshomaru? There was no way the demon lord would have sought her out on his own. And why had Sesshomaru gone so far away from the camp in the first place? Perhaps… he was more bothered by what happened than he had let on? Inuyasha growled, mentally punching himself in the face. Of _course_ Sesshomaru was probably furious. Hell, he would be incensed if Miroku had suddenly pulling him into his lap and started molesting him. He wished he could remember more, but everything got really fuzzy in his head… Kami what had he gotten himself into! It was… probably just a youkai thing. Yes, that had to be it! His inner demon had reacted in a really fucking weird way for some reason— it wouldn't be the first time— and convinced itself that he was attracted to Sesshomaru. Temporary insanity. That had to be it.

"Inuyasha."

The hanyou growled as he heard Kikyo's voice, stopping just at the edge of the clearing his brother and her were standing in. He had never really gotten over the whole 'being-pinned-to-a-tree-for-no-reason-and-then-oh-so-graciously-forgiving-her-and-then-being-stabbed-in-the-back-literally' thing. His former love looked just as cold as ever, expression one to rival Sesshomaru's. The soul catchers floated lazily around her and everywhere around the trees, paying them no attention. Remembering the blood, Inuyasha's eyes darted over to Sesshomaru— but the demon lord had nothing more than a minor cut on his upper arm. That was… strange. He couldn't imagine Kikyo being able to injure Sesshomaru…

And, as said Daiyoukai had proven, she could not. It was really quite an unfortunate circumstance that led him to find Inuyasha's former bitch— he would have avoided her if he could, but he had been rather… er… preoccupied. Regardless, by the time he noticed her scent it was too late, and she seemed to be quite angered by the fact that she could sense the bond he shared with the hanyou. Sesshomaru hadn't wanted to deal with all the drama so he'd simply allowed one of the arrows she'd flung at him— not even charged with spiritual energy— to nick him. He knew Inuyasha would have to come because of the scent of his blood, that was how the bond worked. Even if the hanyou didn't remember, they were still mates. Sesshomaru refused to allow that to be forgotten.

"Kikyo," Inuyasha growled, taking a step forward. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. The half-demon probably didn't even know why he had come. "What are you doing here?"

The miko stood up a bit straighter, bow hanging lifelessly at her sides.

"I sensed Sesshomaru's aura… but it was strangely different than usual. I wanted to see what had made it change so and," She narrowed her eyes, fixing her gaze on Inuyasha carefully. "It seems I have."

The daiyoukai tensed, almost able to sense what would happen if Kikyo spoke of their mating bond. Inuyasha would flip. Out.

"Inuyasha has unfortunately lost a part of his memory," Sesshomaru blurted, glaring at Kikyo with a look he hoped would convey his thoughts. "That is why we are traveling this way, we seek a method to gain back what he's lost."

The hanyou looked over to his brother with a slightly confused expression, not quite understanding why he suddenly brought it up. But Kikyo merely stared at the two thoughtfully, bow hanging idle at her side. There was a moment where no one spoke, and Sesshomaru could taste the silence on his tongue, bitter anticipation causing his fingers to twitch. He knew she was debating, he could only hope that the clay bitch was feeling a bit generous today. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he waited for something to happen, sensing the weight of something important that he didn't quite understand.

"Kikyo—"

"Silence hanyou. I merely came to assuage my curiosity, I have no need nor want to stay here."

Inuyasha growled, her blatant disrespect bothering him in a way he just couldn't describe. But he knew that there would be no stopping her as she turned, continuing back the way he came, so instead he chose to take his anger out on Sesshomaru. "Why the hell are you out here, anyway?" The hanyou asked, stomping angrily over. He was reminded quickly of the daiyoukai's wound when he saw the blood dripping onto the demon lords kimono. This, for some reason, filled him with an unexplainable worry— which only served to make him angrier. Sesshomaru didn't respond to him, choosing to stare off into the direction that the miko had went, and Inuyasha shoved his hands into his sleeves, scowling angrily. How dare his brother ignore him!

"Hey, bastard!" He said a bit louder than necessary, trying to get the others attention.

Sesshomaru turned towards him, expression unreadable.

"Wrap your wound you idiot," Inuyasha stated 'tastefully', crinkling his nose. The daiyoukai's blood was making him queasy- but not because of the smell, rather— for some reason, the sight of the injured daiyoukai was doing all sorts of weird things to his thoughts. A strange pain was running through his head, and all he knew was, Sesshomaru needed to stop bleeding— immediately. "What were you doing out here, anyway?" This seemed to get some reaction out of his brother, though it was more of irritation than anything. After several moments of silence Inuyasha shifted, feeling uncomfortable with the blank stare of the other demon.

"…Come, hanyou. Your humans will be worried."

Inuyasha growled as Sesshomaru started to back in the direction of the camp, jumping in front of the daiyoukai and walking backwards so he could glare in an intimidating manner at him as they moved. "Baka! I asked you a question." Sesshomaru nodded, sending Inuyasha a look.

"Yes, you did. How observant of you."

The hanyou growled louder and stopped directly in front of his brother. How _dare _the daiyoukai brush him off like he were nothing. _He_ was the alpha dammit! Sesshomaru had no right to take such a flippant tone with him. Sesshomaru stopped his movements as well, as though he couldn't even be bothered to walk around the obstacle, choosing instead to wait until Inuyasha had moved. The hanyou growled again stepping forward and shoving his brother back with two calloused hands. The magenta-striped male seemed to be caught slightly off guard, grunting softly as Inuyasha forced him against the nearest tree, staring down at his brother with an inquisitive look on his face. What irked Inuyasha even more was that the demon lord was putting up absolutely no resistance, as if he didn't even see him as a threat. The air in the clearing seemed to go still around them, and the hanyou snarled, placing his face close to his brothers as his claws dug into the others arms.

"_Listen to me_," He growled, "I am head of this pack. You are no longer surrounded by your _servants_, Sesshomaru. As of now, you go by what _I_ say—"

'_**Bite him.**_**'**

His youkai commanded, and it was both such a familiar and foreign feeling that he could do nothing else but obey. He surged forward, sinking his teeth deep into the tender flesh of Sesshomaru's neck, mouth closing around the pale skin with another ferocious growl. He felt more than heard the daiyoukai's gasp, hardly noticing the demon lords hands move to grip the back of his head. A rush of hot blood flooded his mouth and Inuyasha hummed appreciatively, lapping it up and savoring the flavor. Kami but Sesshomaru tasted delicious. Sesshomaru's breath hitched and his head fell back against the tree bark, eyes squinting shut at the feel. There were too many sensations— he had gone so long without any attention from his mate at all and being marked so soon after their little episode in the field was certainly going to do him in. Unable to help himself his hips shifted, and he let out a wanton whine when the hanyou pulled away, tongue darting out to collect a few lingering droplets of blood.

Inuyasha hardly registered that Sesshomaru was panting when he pulled away, focusing instead on the fact that he'd just _bitten_ his older brother, asserting himself over him— though the more astounding thing really was that Sesshomaru had _let_ him. Once he got past that fact it was easier to notice the daiyoukai's slightly flushed face and half-lidded eyes, the parted lips and erratic breathing pattern. There was a long silence as Inuyasha collected his thoughts, releasing his brothers arms and pulling away, unable to help meeting Sesshomaru's eyes. The shock of amber was almost too much for him to handle, and after a moment he had to look away, turning and crossing his arms firmly over his chest. He let out a deep breath, eyelids shutting as he tried to calm himself. "…Come on." It took more effort than he wanted to admit to walk away. What on earth had gotten into him lately? It was almost as if he couldn't stay away from the Daiyoukai, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. He turned, beginning to walk back towards the camp where Kagome was waiting. Yes, Kagome. _She_ was the one he was supposed to be with, right? It took a great deal of strength to ignore the lingering scent of blood coming from the demon lord— his arm was still bleeding, and combine that with the wound Inuyasha had just made cause the most enticing— er, _disgusting_ aroma, that was it.

The sound of footsteps let him know that Sesshomaru was following, and so Inuyasha started moving faster, bounding across the field and towards the dimly lit fire he could see not too far off.

There was only one solution to this dilemma he seemed to be in. He was just going to have to avoid any and all contact with Sesshomaru.

"_Inuyashaaaaaa_!" Kagome whined, hitting two fists against her lap rather half-heartedly. "Where did you go? You know you shouldn't be wandering off by yourself when the new moon is so quickly approaching…" She trailed off, caught a bit off guard by the angry expression on his face. Her brows furrowed for a moment as the hanyou stomped past her, taking his place by the fire with his hands stuffed into his sleeves. She wasn't surprised to see Sesshomaru following, face as impassive as ever. Some of his long silver hair had been pulled over one shoulder, and he seemed to be looking at it almost thoughtfully, as he chose a seat far away from all of them. The miko scowled, chewing on her bottom lip angrily. Of course, it was always _him_, _always_ Sesshomaru that put her hanyou in a foul mood. It was so obvious to her that they just weren't suited for each other. No, Inuyasha would be _much_ happier as soon as _he_ was out of his life. But if he got his memory back… Kagome pulled her knees up to her chest, placing her head on them as she went deep in thought. There _had_ to be some way to stop him from remembering his relationship with Sesshomaru. If those were truly the only memories that he forgot, wasn't that like, a sort of sign? She nodded to herself, a determined expression falling into place. Yes, that's what she'd have to do. Now the only thing left was to get Miroku in on it…

Sesshomaru turned away from the fire, stroking the lock of hair he'd pulled forward to hide the bite marks Inuyasha had left plainly visible on the side of his neck. Honestly, did the hanyou even have any common sense? The miko would _never_ stop shouting and whining and nagging if she saw it. At least, if she was even intelligent enough to make the connection. Then again, he doubted she was. The demon lord blinked slowly, straightening and placing his hands on his knees. He could sense the monk staring at him, but he didn't feel like indulging in the perverted man's need for petty gossip. Allowing his eyes to fall close the demon lord exhaled slowly through his nose, trying to calm himself down. It simply wasn't _fair_. Inuyasha shouldn't have been able to have that big of an effect on him. It was for this exact reason that he hadn't wanted to mate for love— it was far too easy to give all of yourself, but even easier to lose it all. Then again, these were fairly unusual consequences... Sesshomaru exhaled again, chastising himself for being so… _emotional_. Really, he was being no better than the miko. It was times like then that he would have truly appreciated Rin running up to him with a crown of flowers or something equally ridiculous.

Everything was calm for a moment, and Sesshomaru listened idly as the three conversed quietly. Well, Miroku and Kagome conversed, he was quite certain Inuyasha was just sitting there fuming. And yet, there was something… wrong with it all. Something was off.

Sesshomaru inhaled once, opening his eyes and looking around for what he was sure was coming. The scent was so familiar he had memorized it— it if only to know where he needed to stay away from. A faint blur in the distance began to grow closer, and his companions seemed to realize that something was wrong, too.

"What is it, Sesshomaru?" He heard the monk ask, and he stood, hands clenching at his sides.

"…Amatsu."

* * *

**Foxgirl**: Sorry it's on the short side. I felt bad for waiting so long.

**Vixen**: I'm not even going to bother to tell them to review. You don't DESERVE reviews for how long you've made these people wait.

**Foxgirl**: *sniffle* Forgive me!


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